


Hey, babe

by Dawnmoon76



Series: LGBTQ+ Moments (multifandom) [8]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alexander Hamilton Has ADHD, Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens Fluff, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Bisexual Alexander Hamilton, Gay John Laurens, Genderqueer Marquis de Lafayette, Human Disaster Alexander Hamilton, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Minor Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette/Hercules Mulligan, Nonbinary Marquis de Lafayette, Not Beta Read, Slice of Life, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:47:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23645635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawnmoon76/pseuds/Dawnmoon76
Summary: "What's with the face pretty boy?" A girl somehow slithered her way into the non-existent space between him and the guy to his left."I'm not here entirely voluntarily."aka poor John just wants people to stop interacting with him until he finds the one person he doesn't really mind at all.Now continued with more cute gay moments (very slice of life-esque)!
Relationships: Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens
Series: LGBTQ+ Moments (multifandom) [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/784986
Comments: 47
Kudos: 93





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Okay so first Hamilton fanfiction! Words are not enough to explain how much I love this ship. They're so adorable. I hope I got the characterizations right. I wrote this all in one sitting plus a second chapter (so like 3k words total but I have no regrets).
> 
> Background that may or may not be important and may or may not be mentioned in any potential future chapters. Laf, Hercules, and Angelica are a year above Alex, John, and Eliza (I was thinking seniors and juniors in college). Laf and Hercules are soulmates and Laf is Alex's foster sibling (of course Washington is their dad, did you even have to ask?). I don't think there's anything else I want to mention on that front. If I do write more chapters I don't want to give away everything here.

There was something distinctly unpleasant about being in a crowded bar in a college town. Even moreso that there no room to sit without _someone_ touching you. He shifted, trying to pull his limbs in further, but that only yielded space to the drunk guy next to him thus giving him even less. He didn't even want to be here but his new roommate dragged him along and he went figuring he'd need friends since he just got here.

While starting classes in the middle of the year was not ideal, at least he was able to get in between quarters.

"What's with the face pretty boy?" A girl somehow slithered her way into the non-existent space between him and the guy to his left.

"I'm not here entirely voluntarily." He sniffed, taking a swig of his drink for lack of anything else to do. Maybe he should be nicer, he needed friends but he wasn't sure whoever he met at a bar he would want to be friends with.

"Why not make the most of it?" Her expression was friendly and inviting, tilting her head to where a group of people were dancing. He wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a dance floor or not but the patrons didn't seem to care.

He gave her a weak smile. "Thank you but I think I might actually head out after this." He lifted his drink slightly.

She pouted her superficial disappointment at him, "Oh alright. Have a good night." She reached out to touch his arm before pulling back, only managing to brush his arm. At least someone at this bar remembered personal boundaries.

"You too." He nodded at her before she disappeared back into the crowd. He stared into his drink before blinking, perplexed. Had she been flirting? Subtle flirting usually went over his head, especially when it came from women.

Despite wanting nothing more than to leave, it still took him a while to finish his drink. He had maybe three more swallows left when someone else pushed in next to him, far less gracefully than the woman had. He was bulky in a way that made his movement look awkward. He leaned in sideways, getting an arm on the counter before settling in to face him.

"I can't believe you turned down Eliza."

He wished he had a stronger 'leave me the hell alone' aura like the dude he saw scribbling in a notebook in the library.

"Yeah, so?"

"Every dude wants to get with her. You don't say no to a Schuyler. That is unless," the guy leaned in more, "you're not into the finer sex." He licked his lips at the last word like it was supposed to seduce him.

"And if I'm not?" He had to remind himself of where he was. This part of the country was far more accepting than the south. It was a little jarring for a stranger to be insinuating anything.

"Then I bet I could show you a good time."

"Hey, babe!" Yet _another_ person moved into his space. This one at least shouldered the person on the stool away so that he could re-establish some personal space. His shoulder still touched the back of John's from where he leaned in. His arm itched and moved it down, letting newcomer settled more fully at his back and against the bar.

John glanced over his shoulder at the newcomer, it took him a moment to place the face but it was the dude from the library. His hair was down as opposed to the messy bun it had been in earlier.

"And who are you?" Bulky dude asked.

His face scrunched adorably as if to ask 'why do you care?' before actually responding. "Uh, his boyfriend?" The 'duh' weaved between the words. The newcomer, apparently his boyfriend, scanned the other one in distaste. "And you are?" John wasn't sure how someone managed to be so dismissive with a facial expression. It said that anything bulky dude wanted to say would not be considered. He seemed to get it.

"I'm just leaving."

He and his boyfriend were left to watch to man stalk off. Once he was out of sight his boyfriend backed off rapidly.

"Sorry about that. You just didn't seem very interested in him and, like, I got that sleazeball vibe from him and I'm pretty sure I've seen him trying to hit on literally everybody. He was a total creep when trying to 'seduce' my friend before moving on to pretty much everyone else in my friend group. I was too much of a hermit back then, that's probably why he didn't recognize me. Spent most of my time in my dorm." He paused for the first time since starting but didn't let it go on for long. Before John could even think of anything to say he barrelled on. "So, uh, yeah, sorry again about that. You didn't seem too keen on physical contact but I needed to project the right signals otherwise he would have never bought that bluff. See and Laf thinks that I don't pay attention when they ramble about their readings."

John couldn't help but be amused, catching sight of his expression the other man finally quieted down. He studied the other man as he fidgeted slightly, he was beautiful if he was being honest. His hair looked unbelievably soft and the lights reflected in his eyes looks like fire.

"I wouldn't mind your touch," he mentally tamped down his panic and cursed the fact that pretty boys basically turn off his common sense. He was just lucky that it was more flirty than truly awkward. His fake boyfriend stilled his restless movement. Something like awe overcoming his features.

"Oh my god, you're him. I can't believe, oh go-this is _amazing_. Oh man, I can't wait to tell everybody." Even though he had literally just said he wouldn't mind beautiful man's touch he still protested when his arm was grabbed and the man tried to pull him away.

"Woah! Hey, what are you talking about?" Despite his annoyance at the evening he couldn't help be amused at the whirlwind in front of him.

"Oh!" The man let go of him but stayed close as he tried to scrunch his sleeve up higher. He was already wearing a long sleeve button up so the rolled up sleeve wasn't going much higher, but it didn't really need to. He was able to read '-our touch' on the inside of his bicep.

He suddenly remembered his own arm and looked down 'hey, babe' was curled on his own forearm. He had always been baffled by his words as to why would your first words to someone be a term of endearment. Well, he guesses he got his answer.

"Oh." John smiled and looked back up at his _soulmate_ suddenly giddy. The other man looked up from John's arm to meet his eyes, a matching smile on his face.

"C'mon, I need to introduce you to my friends." He went a lot more willing this time as he was pulled past the maybe-not-a-dancefloor and to one of the booths.

"Guys! Guys! Guess what!" Four people looked up at the call, two guys and two girls.

"You got pretty boy to join us?" John suddenly recognized the girl in front of him. She shook her head. "If it's not me then it's you." She smiled fondly. The lankier looking man was studying him, eyes landing on where his soulmate still had a hand around his forearm.

"Together we'll seduce the entire campus! But no I actually-wait, pretty boy?" His soulmate glanced back at him.

He shrugged, "I was apparently looking sad enough that she approached me."

"Of course you'd adopt the pitiful looking ones." The other girl said teasingly.

"Hey!"

"Anyway!" The last man interjected. "Alex, who's this?" John didn't realize until that moment that they hadn't even exchanged names yet.

It didn't matter to Alex who absolutely lit up. "Guys! This is my soulmate!" John smiled as Alex bounced on his toes. "These are my friends. Eliza, Angelica, Hercules, and Lafayette. She, she, he, they." It took a moment to process the random spouting of pronouns until he was able to assign them with the people sitting in front of him. The lankier _person_ raised an amused brow.

"And what is your soulmate's name?" They crossed their legs and leaned back into Hercules.

Alex drew in a breath before freezing, only now realizing what John had earlier. He glanced away from the group in embarrassment before ducking his head and sheepishly looking up at John.

And while soulmates didn't have to be romantic John couldn't help the almost painful surge of emotion in his chest. Oh man was his soulmate _cute_. Some of his emotions must have been easily read on his face as Eliza let out an 'awwww'.

He cleared his throat, not looking away from Alex. "John, my name's John."

"You guys have literally only just met and you're already disgusting." Angelica deadpanned before she smiled brightly, "I love it." The rest of the friends laughed.

"So what were his first words to you?" Eliza leaned forward onto the table while Alex and John finally sat down. He offered her his left arm, right still trapped by Alex who had moved to hold his hand below the table.

Laf, who was sitting the furthest from him nearly snorted their drink when they read the words. "Mon _d_ _ieu_ , Alexandre!" Is as far as they got before they laughed coughed into their arm, Hercules rubbing their back.

"What _possessed_ you to greet a stranger that way?" Hercules questioned, smiling.

Alex spluttered. "He also introduced himself as my boyfriend." John pointed out. Alex ducked his head, covering his face with his free hand while Eliza, Angelica, and Hercules were quiet with shock.

Laf recovered, smile bright. "Et _you_ responded with 'I wouldn't mind your touch'."

"To be fair those two phrases were not right after one another." John rushed out.

"And that makes it better?" Eliza raised a brow in incredulous question.

"Yes! Because he was responding to what I said!"

"Still sounds pretty forward to me," Hercules said.

"Oh my god, just give us the entire story," Angelica demanded, rolling her eyes.

They patiently waited out Alex's rambling response and John stopped trying to wipe the love struck expression off his face. It seemed to fluster Alex whenever he looked at John and that just made him even more adorable.

At the end of the night, they realized that John lived in the same apartment complex as them. Alex's friends (and soon to be his?) teased him a bit when they got into the building before they dispersed, leaving the new soulmate pair alone.

"So uh-"

"Can I-?"

They both started before smiling. Alex gestured for him to go first.

"Can I have your number?"

Alex started laughing and he was left to stare confusedly at his soulmate.

"I'm sorry, this night has just been so backwards! I pretended to be your boyfriend before I had your number...or even knew your name! But yeah, yes, you can have my number." They exchanged phones to type in their own numbers. He glanced over the information _Alexander Hamilton_ the contact read. Alex smiled as he saved the contact. "Well, _Laurens_ , I can't wait to get to know you." His bright smile automatically made John smile. Alex ducked in to press a kiss to his cheek before darting away, almost skipping down the hall. He was already impatient to know everything about his _soulmate_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I could not help myself but give John "hey, babe" on his arm. I had briefly thought about it the other way but I don't think it would have fit with my characterization of John as well as it does with Alex.
> 
> So another chapter is already written, I might wait a little to post that one. It does directly relate to (and follow) this chapter.
> 
> I dunno if I'll continue further than that. The two ideas that fueled these chapters possessed me and had me sit down and write them non-stop. We'll see if anything else tickles my fancy at a later date.
> 
> French translations:
> 
> "Mon dieu, Alexandre!" = "My god, Alexander!"
> 
> "Et you responded..." = "And you responded..."
> 
> Lemme know what you think! I'll drop the next chapter in the next week or so.
> 
> ~Dawn


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No plot, just Alex being a disaster and him and John being cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Boom! Chapter two! This basically immediately follows the first chapter. For the record: Laf, Hercules, Alex, and Eliza share a two-bedroom apartment. The first two in one room and the latter in another. Angelica and Peggy are just visiting/staying the night.
> 
> Also, you have Tumblr to thank for this chapter. I saw the prompt and since I'm in a Hamilton obsession and the "Human Disaster Alexander Hamilton" tag floating in my mind, this happened. (No chapter three is written or planned but I'm open to suggestions, see end note)

He was woken by an alarm. Not his alarm, mind you. The... _fire alarm_. As he registered what the noise meant he hopped up out of bed. His impulse is to just leave right away because who knew if and where the fire was. But he made it two steps before realizing that his basketball shorts and bare feet were not going to cut it in this January night weather. He pulled on his sweatpants that he had left laying on the ground and a sweatshirt from his chair before shoving his feet into his rainboots and grabbing his blanket off his bed.

He joined the stream of mostly disgruntled college students who all had been woken up at, he checked his watch, five in the morning.

While they milled around the grassy area a ways away from the building John caught sight of familiar curly hair. Lafayette stood taller than a lot of the people around them. John made his way over. Apparently they had a similar thought and had grabbed their blanket as well, wrapping it around both themself and Hercules. Eliza and a woman he didn't recognize were wrapped under another and Angelica was standing there glaring at Alex who was trying to wiggle his hands into her unzipped coat.

"Alex! Hey-uh." He blinked at his soulmate. "Why aren't you wearing a coat?!" Alex blinked at him as Angelica managed to get his hands away and zip up her coat. The man in question was wearing sweatpants and a _t-shirt_. He didn't know the temperature but it was definitely too cold for that attire. Alex was already shivering. He at least had footwear in the form of slipper boot...things*. At least those had a sole on them and wouldn't get soaked through. "C'mere, you moron." He rolled his eyes fondly as he wrapped Alexander up in the blanket with him.

His soulmate's excited "John!" was muffled by the thick blanket. He felt Alex sigh in relief and melt against him. He caught Laf's smirk and suddenly realized why Alex had been banished from his friends' blanket huddles. He doubted Alex's friends would let him freeze but they also knew that John lived here and was probably more sensible than his soulmate. But hey, he wasn't complaining, he got to hug Alex for an extended period of time.

"You're John?" The unfamiliar woman asked, shuffling her and Eliza closer.

"Yeah."

"I'm Peggy, Eliza and Angelica's sister."

"Nice to meet you," John smiled, "I'd shake your hand but-"

"No!" Came the petulant complaint from his collarbone where Alex had decided to shove his cold nose. "Hoard the warm, John." He laughed at the command. Alex's friends smiled.

In the end, there was no fire and someone had just fallen asleep while making pizza rolls. People starting trickling back inside and he waited for the worst of it to pass, as did Alex's friends.

He wasn't entirely sure if Alex was even awake. John had never known a person that could fall asleep standing up though.

"Alex?" He asked hair. "Alexander? We can go back in now."

"He fell asleep?" Peggy asked incredulously.

Laf sighed, "He hasn't slept well recently."

"Classes haven't even started!" Eliza exclaimed, doing nothing to rouse the slumbering Alex.

"You know him." Laf stepped forward, Hercules pulled along in the blanket. Laf snaked an arm out, putting a hand on Alex's hair. "Mon petit lion? Réveille-toi."

Alex snuffled slightly, resettling his head in the crook of John's neck. His breath sent tingles across his neck. "Non."

Lafayette smiled in fond exasperation, glancing up into John's amused eyes before looking back down at Alex. "Mon frère." He ruffled Alex's hair, causing the shorter man to groan in annoyance, trying to bring his hands up to swat at Laf. Of course, his hands were trapped in the blanket and all he managed to do was fluff in some cold air.

"Meet y'all inside," Peggy said as she pulled her sisters along inside, leaving the four of them in the rapidly emptying field.

"C'mon Alex." He adjusted his hold so they were side by side instead of front to front so they could walk to the building.

"Allons-y, mes amis." He followed Laf inside.

"Might as well as start our day." Hercules shrugged.

"It's too early." Alex glared blearily at the world from under his hair.

"You don't even know what time it is." Laf pointed out.

"The sun isn't up. It's too early." They had been standing outside for longer than John really expected or wanted. It was quickly closing in on six am.

"I agree." While he would typically wake up at eight anyway and he wasn't sure he'd be able to fall asleep again and get any meaningful rest but he was going to at least lay in bed until then.

"Good." Alex briefly nuzzled John's temple before refocusing on walking when he leaned a little far into John.

"How about the two of you go back to John's and sleep for a few more hours and the rest of us will start our day without having to worry about disturbing you." Lafayette proposed.

"This is just a plot to get me into John's bed," Alex grumbled. John liked to pretend his red face was from the cold air outside. "Best and worst big sibling ever." Lafayette only laughed before dragging Hercules inside their apartment, leaving John and Alex in the hallway. Alex sighed, "You don't have to let me. I'll just knock on the door until I annoy one of them enough to let me in."

"You don't have a key?"

"I don't have a coat and you think I'd have my keys?"

John considered it for a second. "Fair." They stood there for a few beats longer. John spoke up when he felt Alex loosen his hold. "You can stay. If you want."

"That'd be nice." John slowly started to shuffle them towards his place, farther down the hall. "And just so we're clear we're just gonna sleep because while I would love to do other things in bed with you I am _exhausted_." John puffed out a shocked laugh at the blunt clarification.

"Yeah, yeah, that's fine. I wasn't expecting anything else. I'm tired too."

Once he got them inside he led them to the bedroom, depositing his almost entirely asleep again soulmate before taking off his outer layers so he wouldn't overheat. He tugged off Alex's slippers before properly arranging the blanket and joining his soulmate.

Alex latched on with all his limbs and John relaxed back into his pillows, tucking his nose against Alex's hair ( _it was as soft as it looked_ ).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Absolutely let me know if you have any ideas for this 'verse (within constraints, see following). While I like polyhamilsquad as much as the next guy this fic is gonna stay just Alex/John and Laf/Herc since in my mind/'verse Laf and Alex are siblings and see each other as such. I don't write smut but will write all the fluff (or hurt/comfort).
> 
> Did I entirely forget about John's roommate that I mentioned in the first chapter? Yes, yes I did. (Well apartment mate but whatever)
> 
> *Ya know the boot slipper things, John. (That Alex was totally stealing from Eliza, brotp for the win).
> 
> French Translations:  
> "Mon petit lion? Réveille-toi." = "My little lion? Wake up." (I just love their pet name for Alex, I needed to include it)  
> "Non." = "No."  
> "Mon frère." = "My brother."  
> "Allons-y, mes amis." = "Let's go, my friends."  
> All French is a combination of Google Translate and my own knowledge from French class. (Tbh I use Translate mostly for the spelling because spelling in English is hard enough for me but put it in French? Mon dieu.)
> 
> ~Dawn


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More fluff from our two boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Okay! So this is inspired by a comment by **Miraculous_daughter_of_posiedon.** I hope this is in the ballpark of what you were thinking! 
> 
> Also, please don't expect rapid updates like this consistently. I'm really terrible at it and honestly should be working on another fic _Seven for a Secret_. I've been spoiling you by giving you three chapters within a week.
> 
> I guess warning for like one use of a mild swear word. I'm a bad judge of rating so if in the future this continues on and you think the rating should go up let me know and I'll review it.

Lafayette watched their brother nearly vibrate out of his skin as he cradled his coffee and nearly hissed at Hercules when the man tried to ease the caffeine away.

"Tu va bien, mon petit lion?" Lafayette mumbled into their own mug.

"Tout va bien." Alex's eyes darted away as he drank his coffee.

Laf just tutted and squinted at Alex. Hercules eyed the both of them. He and Eliza were often left a little lost when they spoke French. They both had picked up a number of words but Alex and Laf had different accents which, over the years, have semi-combined. Hercules desperately wanted to go to France with Laf and see the locals' reaction to their new accent.

"On that note, I gotta go," Hercules said, kissing Laf goodbye and briefly clapping a hand on Alex's shoulder on his way past.

Laf kept their eyes on Alex and waited for the front door to close. "What. Is. Wrong?"

"I just- I wanna...but I don't know?" Laf only blinked deliberately making Alex sigh. "I want to...come out? To John?"

"As bi?"

Alex looked at them, confused. "I don't have any other identities to come out with?"

"Je ne sais pas," Laf shrugged. "I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"I _know_ but...you know?"

"I do," Laf pushed off the counter to stand by Alex's side. "But he's also not straight so I really don't think you have anything to worry about."

"But! Biphobia is a thing! Like he's so _gay_. Gay people can be biphobic!"

"How do you know he's gay?"

Alex looked up at them in disbelief. "Is your gaydar _broken_?" Laf opened their mouth but Alex barrelled on, "But no yeah he has several pins laying on his desk that he said he wasn't sure he wanted on his bag. Like he didn't know if he was ready to be _that_ open with his sexuality. Literally none of them indicated he was anything other than gay...or like in love with marine life."

"You have pins on your bag. Just wait for him to see those." They put an arm around Alex's shoulder and he leaned his head against their hip.

"But that gives him the chance to like...ignore it? Pretend I'm not? Like what if he wants to be with me but only if I'm not bi? What if he accuses me of potentially cheating on him! What if he says I'm actually just gay because my soulmate is a dude and therefore it doesn't matter than I can also like girls in that way?"

Laf dropped down to a knee when Alex's rambling went past even his normal breakneck speed. "Mon petit, just breathe." Alex shrunk back and Laf let go of his shoulders but stayed close, they hunched a little further so they weren't looming over Alex.

"I just...I already love him so much it scares me. I know he's my soulmate but like, that's not always a guarantee." Laf softened at those words. Alex's biological parents were soulmates but his father had still left his wife and children.

"John seems like a good man. I doubt he will reject you for being bi nor will he make you hide that part of yourself in order to be with him. It sounds like he knows the pain of that."

Their brother had only known his soulmate for a little over a week but they had clicked instantly. Lafayette had yet to truly get to know John but they figured once Alex did it would be their turn.

"And if he does turn out to be biphobic then you have me, Hercules, and the Schuylers. It'll hurt but you won't be alone." Alex swayed forward unconsciously and Laf took that as their cue to hug the snot out of their brother. "Oh, mon frère. It's going to be okay."

"Merci, mon arbre*," Alex mumbled into their shirt as they smiled softly. Mon arbre, or literally translated to my tree, was something that Alex had called them when he was first taken in by the Washingtons. Its use had faded a bit over time and as the height disparity shrunk slightly. Alex still liked to use it in these sibling moments.

Laf rubbed a hand up and down Alex's back before they both pulled back. "You have a date with him tonight, oui?"

"Yeah, I was thinking of doing it tonight. I was planning on staying the night since we have class at the same time tomorrow morning but if it goes south I could just come back here." Their heart ached seeing Alex so subdued as he gave a little shrug.

"We'll be here if you need us tonight." Laf squeezed his hand before standing fully, grabbing their own mug again.

"Thank you. If you don't hear from me tonight then it either went well or I chickened out."

"I will still hope for the best."

They both milled around the apartment before Alex had to go to class, Laf leaving a little later to meet Hercules for lunch and go to their class after that.

* * *

Alex giggled into John's shoulder as he unlocked his apartment door. He unlooped their arms and brought a hand up to try and stifle the laughter. John was smiling brightly as he shed his shoes and coat. Alex's laugh making him giddy.

"I would not have pegged you as someone that would have _stolen_ the class pet!"

"You would have stolen Herold too if you saw him! He was adorable!" _But not as adorable as you_ he thought. Some of Alex's hair had fallen out of its bun and framed his face and his sweatshirt's sleeves were just a little too long.

"I doubt he was anywhere near as adorable as you are." Alex came closer, unintentionally mirroring his thoughts. John smiled and glanced away, fighting the urge to kiss him.

While they had come together as if they always had one another, they were slower with the physical side of their relationship. John was nervous because he had never... _done_ anything before. At least, nothing that truly meant anything to him and certainly not with another guy. He tried to date Martha, to get both his classmates and his dad off his back and try and convince himself that the could like girls.

Turned out both of them had a better subconscious gaydar than they thought and they ended up as each other's beard for senior year and even kept it up when Martha moved out of state for college. They agreed to "break up" when John finally moved away and was on his own two feet away from his father. The fondest part of that relationship was when Martha found herself a girlfriend and had to explain to her that yes John was her boyfriend but he really wasn't.

"So where's your roommate?" Alex asked as he collapsed onto the couch while John went to grab his laptop.

"I think he's over at his girlfriend's? I can never really get a straight answer out of him."

Alex scoffed, "I had a roommate like that freshman year. Kept telling me to 'talk less'."

John handed Alex his laptop as he settled onto the couch himself, pulling a blanket over their legs. Alex moved in closer before setting the computer down on John's lap.

"Which episode were we on?" John asked. All the episodes had been marked as watched because it was a shared account with his sister who always beat him to the end of a series.

"Seven?"

They settled in to watch, not long into it Alex started playing with John's hands. They got through two more episodes before Alex reached out to pause on the end credits.

"I, uh, I wanted to tell you something." Alex kept his gaze strictly on their hands.

John looked down at the top of his head. "What's up?" He asked softly so as not to spook his soulmate. Alex usually wasn't afraid or hesitant to say what he wanted. So this, almost withdrawn, behavior was odd.

John tried not to count heartbeats as he waited for Alex to speak. His soulmate was still refusing eye contact but had opened and closed his mouth several times.

"I'm bi."

"Oh."

"And like I know what people think of bi people and I just really hope you're not one of Those People. Laf said it would be alright but I just can't but think of worse case scenarios. You're a dude and my soulmate but that doesn't mean I can't also have the same attraction to women. I don't! At the moment. You're it for me but sometimes soulmates don't work out and I don't want this to be the thing that made us not work out. I-"

"Alex! Mon trésor**," while letting Alex keep his right hand captive he brought his left to cup his face. This also meant that Alex made eye contact while inhaling deeply from his rambling. "Thank you for telling me. I don't care that you're bi." John mentally shook his head. "I mean, I care in the way that it's a part of you and your identity. But I don't believe any of those false stereotypes." He was alarmed at the tears in Alex's eyes.

Alex launched himself forward, knocking them both over the length of the couch. John was able to save the toppling laptop, setting it gently on the ground before hugging Alex tightly as he let out a sob against his chest.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. You're okay. I'm right here." His right hand came up to Alex's hair, smoothing some of it back.

Alex drew in a shaky breath, "I know." He huffed out before another sob. He wrestled it back. "I'm just so relieved and I love you so much and I'm just so _happy_."

It felt like someone had just punched their way to his heart just to deposit warm love and fuzzy affection. Leaving him aching but content.

"I love you too."

"Oh shit," Alex popped up and John was relieved he didn't look as devasted as he had sounded. "I didn't mean to-I mean I meant it but like there was A Plan for that and that wasn't it."

"I don't think you can really plan for these things, darlin'." Alex melted at the pet name, relaxing onto John's chest.

They laid there in silence for a long moment, just basking in each other's warm.

"Did you want to head to bed? It's getting late and while I know you can survive on less sleep, I can't." John kept his voice pitched low to avoid disturbing the atmosphere.

Alex yawned out a 'yeah' before proceeding to not move from his spot on top of John.

"C'mon, up we go," Alex grumbled before rolling off of John and the couch completely, swaying slightly as he stood fully. He grabbed the overnight bag they had picked up on their way past Alex's apartment after dinner and shuffled to the bathroom. John stretched before scooping up his laptop and heading to his bedroom.

He plugged it in and changed into his sleep clothes. He briefly pressed his nose into Alex's hair in an almost kiss as they passed one another on his way to the bathroom.

When he came back Alex was already curled up on the side of the bed he claimed when he had slept there last. His phone was already plugged in and charging so John did the same with his own, double checking the alarms as he did so.

He climbed into bed where Alex quickly snuggled into his side.

"Goodnight, bi-eautiful." John smiled at the pun. Alex groaned.

"That was terrible," He flicked John's side, "but I appreciate the effort."

"You know that one's staying."

"If you value your life it won't." John could hear the smile in Alex's voice.

"But I wouldn't want to leave you all _bi_ yourself."

" _Oh my god_ , you're a dork." Alex grinned as he rolled away from John. This just gave John the best opportunity to spoon him. Neither man was complaining while Alex relaxed back into his soulmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: As before, feel free to send in ideas, I might have another chapter in the works inspired by the same comment but I'm trying to solidify the concept. 
> 
> French Translations:  
> "Tu va bien, mon petit lion?" = "Are you okay, little lion?"  
> "Tout va bien." = "Everything's fine."  
> "Je ne sais pas," = "I don't know,"  
> "Merci, mon arbre." = "Thank you, my tree."  
> "Mon trésor" = "My treasure"
> 
> *okay so it may sound odd in English but "mon arbre" isn't in weird French. The website that I used to look up french pet names says, "My tree, it stays strong even in stormy nights". And I like the idea that Laf was fostered/adopted first and despite only being a year older, acts so much older than they really are. And they took care of Alex when he was just a scrawny thing fresh from a hurricane devastated island. (The fact that Laf could whisper in French after Alex had nightmares also meant that Alex more often went to Laf's room instead of the Washingtons'.) Plus, Laf was ridiculously tall early on so to Alex they were a tall tree. (I love that Alex is so smol when he was actually 5'7 (average for his time, slightly below by modern standards)).
> 
> **John Laurens apparently knew a ton of languages. Here I'm going to cut it down because it feels odd for a modern American to know so many languages. There'll be less French between John and Alex because it doesn't hold the same meaning or comfort for John. But he'll give Alex french pet names because he knows how much it means to Alex. 
> 
> ~Dawn


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are gonna die from how soft and fluffy this turned out to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So this chapter was inspired by a friend of mine and you have him to thank for another quick update. I hope you enjoy this somehow even _fluffier_ chapter.

Laf wandered out of their room in search of their brother. He wasn't hard to find as Alex sat on their couch on his laptop while John sat on the floor in front of it, using the coffee table as his workspace. Alex's leg brushed John's side and every once in a while he would lean more solidly against the other man's leg.

"Alex?"

"Hm?" They waited for a beat for Alex to finish typing his sentence. "Yeah?" He looked up.

"What movie did you want to watch for your..." Laf trailed off and squinted in thought, "pour ton...ton...ah, _zut_." They rubbed their eye. They were only, like, a week into school but they had to stay up late the previous night and get up early for work that morning. When they were tired words got even harder and they ended up, embarrassingly, forgetting words in both English and their native French.

"Mon anniversaire? Birthday?"

"Oui," Laf slumped a little, relieved they didn't have to wrack their brain for the right word.

"It's your birthday?" John glanced back at him, brows furrowed.

Alex flicked his eyes to his soulmate before settling on his exhausted looking sibling.

"Saturday actually." It was currently Thursday.

"Did you not want me to know?" John wasn't hurt, just a little baffled.

"Honestly?" Alex looked down at him. "I forgot. I usually do until either the day before or the day of. Anyway, Laf, I dunno. I'll see if there's anything. But I think right now you should take a nap. I can handle dinner, we were having stir fry right?"

"Ouias, je vais dormir, bonne nuit." Laf waved a vague hand as they departed back to their room.

"It's two in the afternoon?" John watched them leave.

Alex smiled and nudged him with a foot, "Leave them be, they're tired."

"Anyway, birthday." John twisted and put his chin on Alex's knee, looking up at him.

"I haven't really celebrated it much. It's usually low-key. Maybe go out for dinner but mainly just movie watching." Alex shrugged.

"Would you protest me giving you a present?" Alex smiled and ran a hand through John's loose curls when he tilted his head in question.

"You don't have to get me anything."

"That's not a no~" John cooed, excitement building.

"Seriously you don't-"

"Not a no! Ha ha! You're getting a present."

"Fine," Alex rolled his eyes landing on John's, "Just don't spend too much on me."

"Deal." They grinned at one another, John joining Alex on the couch. Moving to his reading assignment while Alex continued his typing.

After some time Alex got up to start making dinner, John finishing the required chapter before joining him. After the vegetables were chopped there wasn't really anything for him to do so he loomed over the cooking rice and leaned against Alex's side as he stirred the vegetables.

The front door opened as John was checking the rice. "Hey, Herc!"

"Hey, Alex," Hercules walked into sight, "John," he nodded.

"Hello, Hercules," Alex snorted softly at the use of the full name. John smiled and poked him in the side. "Rice is done."

"Oh good," he looked over his shoulder to Hercules, "Laf is taking a nap if you could wake them up? Dinner's ready."

"On it."

"Stir these a little longer? I'll grab Eliza." Alex passed off the spatula.

Eliza had come home while they were on the couch, declared she was video chatting her sisters and locked Alex out of the room.

They ate dinner and dispersed after that. John went back to his own apartment later that night.

Fridays looked like they were going to be his busiest days this quarter. He wouldn't be able to see Alex until the evening or really even message him throughout the day unless he was willing to text during lecture.

It was during a class he didn't really need but the school required because his credits didn't transfer properly that he started thinking about birthday presents for Alex. If he wanted to order something then it wouldn't get there until after his birthday. John usually hated giving late birthday presents because it looked like he forgot. But he was comforted with the fact that he didn't even know until yesterday and that Alex would know and understand his reason for being late.

He did have some time Saturday morning. Alex had a horrendous sleep schedule all week but he had told John he "made up" for it over the weekend. John was sure wasn't healthy but it was better than nothing. So Alex was not getting out of bed before noon.

He'll probably get up at his normal time to go downtown and look around. That gave him four hours until Alex woke up and an additional three before he had to head over.

* * *

John was glad he had a coat that was warm but not bulky as his breath puffed in front of him. He wandered the various shops and stores, trying to get inspiration.

He walked pasted one window before coming to a sudden stop. He was glad the streets were mostly empty as he backtracked.

The window display was for the children's section of the store with books, toys, and other learning tools. What caught his eye was a plush nestled among the rest. He bit his lip in thought. Was he willing to be _that_ cheesy this early on? They had only found each other a short time ago but it felt like forever. He had a shallow well of information on Alex for birthday present inspiration but this just felt right. He glanced up into the store. Did he dare?

Looking back down at the little stitched face his decision was made. He entered the store with a purposeful stride. A smile lit up his face as he grabbed one from the shelf, briefly inspecting the stitching and fabric for defects. Deeming it worthy he bought it before heading back to his apartment.

He contemplated his room before deciding to hide the small plush in his backpack. Alex was going to spend the night here since John had his own room. They didn't want to bother Eliza.

He had fun that evening with Alex and their friends (he had been officially adopted into the friend group and even added to the group chat at some point in the week). They went out for pizza before catching a movie, heading home for cake and presents.

Hercules gave Alex a book. John had never heard of it but Alex absolutely _lit up_ at reading the cover and hugged the book to his chest.

His soulmate unwrapped a desk mug warmer from Laf. "You're always complaining about cold coffee," they shrugged before being tackled into a hug. They smiled into the top of Alex's head and squeezed back with equal vigor.

Eliza stood anxiously as Alex unwrapped her gift. He studied the box quizzically before he perked up, opening the box swiftly. He pulled out a silver pen and turned it around in his hands, he fiddled with it in fascinated awe. John then realized it was a fidget pen. Alex had a cube clipped onto his bag and a couple of squishy things he kept on his desk but he always ended up playing with whatever writing implement was in his hand. While he liked to type a lot of his things he also hand wrote a lot too.

"Oh my god, this is amazing, Betsey!" He twirled the pen around his fingers as he hugged her. He continued to fiddle with it as they dished out the cake. They played a couple of games before John and Alex left for the night.

Alex didn't ask John about a present, assuming that maybe he ordered something online and it was going to be late.

They were both laying on John's bed, clicking through his youtube recommendations.

"Hey," Alex said, head on John's hip absently watching the screen. John was sitting up, right hand on his computer, left slowly combing through Alex's hair.

"Hm?"

"We're, like, dating, right? You're my boyfriend?"

John looked down at Alex, who rolled to be more on his back so he could look up at John. "Yeah, I'd like to be if you want me."

"Of course I do," Alex answered. They smiled widely at each other.

"Hold on, I wanna give you your present." He nudged Alex off his lap and got up. "Close your eyes, I didn't wrap it." He instructed as Alex sat up, hair fluffed from the petting.

He retrieved the plush, smoothing down some of the fabric that got bent in his bag.

He climbed back onto the bed, sitting cross-legged in front of Alex. "Okay, open."

Alex's eyes found the plush and he erupted into bright laughter. "Oh my god," he smiled.

"I thought it fitting. Je t'aime, mon petit chou." Alex took the little cabbage* plush and cradled it in his hands as he took it in.

"I-this is _amazing_. I love it. I love _you_." The air was charged when Alex met his eyes. The world went silent and John's world narrowed onto the man in front of him. His love surged, invading his entire being and made him feel like he had to do _something_.

Alex stared back with the same intensity and John knew this was the moment. Their love almost felt like a tangible connection between their hearts. It tugged them toward one another.

Alex reached out with his right hand and cupped John's jaw, his left lowering the plush into his lap. John reached up, brushing over Alex's neck and jaw before resting lightly in his hair, his left sliding onto Alex's knee.

The pounding of his heart was almost painful as they closed the gap between them, Alex's now free left hand moving to grab a handful of his shirt at his waist.

When their lips met a rush of contentment fell over him. They tilted their heads, melding together even further before separately softly.

"Je t'aime, mon chéri," Alex whispered into the space between them.

"And I love you, mon chou," John smiled freely, making their next kiss a little awkward but no less warm.

Alex pushed him back gently so they could kiss more comfortably. Alex eventually turned to lay more to John's side than on top of them, snuggling into his side. The cabbage plush now laying in John's lap.

"Best. Birthday. Ever," Alex whispered into his shoulder as he fell asleep.

John kissed his head and pulled up the blanket with his foot, grabbing it and laying it over the both of them. He smiled broadly into Alex's hair, trying to repress his elated giggle so as not to jostle his soulmate. His _boyfriend_. His _everything_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Their first kiss! And their relationship is like Official.
> 
> Thank you for the enthusiasm and inspiration, boo! ;*
> 
> Also, in the course of writing this chapter, I ended up getting ~ideas~ for another one. So there's gonna be more coming. But also don't be afraid to give me ideas as well!
> 
> French Translations:  
> "pour ton...ton...ah, zut." = "for your...your...ah, damn." (I believe zut can also be translated to like 'heck' and 'shucks'?)  
> "Mon anniversaire?" = "My birthday?"  
> "Ouias, je vais dormir, bonne nuit." = "Yeah, I'm going to sleep, good night."  
> "Je t'aime, mon petit chou." = "I love you, my little cabbage."  
> "Je t'aime, mon chéri," = "I love you, my dear."  
> *okay so mon chou does mean my cabbage but it's like honey or sweetie in English. It comes from "chou à la crème" which is a creampuff. So yes, John saw this cabbage plush in the children's section of a store and went, yes that's perfect.
> 
> ~Dawn


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wild Washingdad makes an appearance!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So I feel like this strays from the theme of the fic by not being super Alex/John focused but(!) it's a perfect sort of part 2 for the last chapter and still has some feels. Also, I'm warning you now, I don't currently have a chapter 6 in the works (and even if I did I really shouldn't write it because I got school work to do). But this doesn't mean you can't still give ideas! I'm just saying that there's going to be a delay before chapter 6 comes out. 

"George, dear, it's going to be okay," Martha reassured her husband. They were driving up to see Alex for his birthday, almost a week late because George had an unavoidable work commitment. They were surprising him since they mailed their gift up for the week before Alex wasn't expecting any in person meet up. It was a long weekend so they were confident they weren't going to cut into Alex's study time.

Both Lafayette and Alex had been quietly excited about telling them something but apparently wanted to wait in person to do so. They were going to come down for George's birthday since his landed on a three day weekend.

Martha glanced down at her purse containing Alex's second birthday present. They wanted to do this in person as well.

* * *

"Un moment, my boss is calling," Laf excused themself from the living room where they were all playing video games. They closed the door to their and Herc's room quickly before answering. "Allô, mes parents!"

"Hello, Laf," George greeted warmly, "we just wanted you to know we're maybe fifteen minutes out."

"I'm so excited! You have it, oui?"

"Oui, Laf, " Martha assured, "we have it." Lafayette tried to stifle their excited laugh because the others thought they were talking to their boss, not their parents.

"D'accord, d'accord. I can't wait for dinner. Also, when you get here you'll get to know what we've been keeping secret." They felt a little bad for springing the parents on John but he didn't want to warn him and potentially have him tip off Alex.

"It's been killing me. You know I like knowing about your lives." George said.

"Oh, hush," Martha scolded playfully, "Let our kids have their fun."

"Anyway, we'll be there soon."

"See you then! Salut!"

"See you, bye Laf."

They ended the call and tried to reign in their smile. They were so close. They went back to the living room where Alex, John, Eliza, and Hercules were focused on the screen. Hercules glanced back at them.

"Everything all right? What did your boss want?"

"Work is okay. Nothing important, she just wanted to know where I put some files."

With no suspicion, they perched themself next to Hercules on the arm of the couch. Alex handed them the controller once he lost the round. He flopped onto John's lap and pouted. Laf couldn't help but think this was going _perfectly_. With Alex the only one not playing he would be the one to get the door.

Not long later there was indeed a knock on the door. Alex groaned before rolling off his boyfriend to get it. Once Alex left the room they paused the game, keeping an ear out, a finger to their lips to keep the others silent.

They heard Alex unlock the door. Alex made a noise that Laf was tempted to label a squeak before they heard their dad grunt. Laf smiled and jumped off the couch. Alex was tightly hugging their dad, Martha smiling next to her husband.

They approached, kissing her on the cheek and hugging her. Switching parents once Alex wormed his way into their hug.

"Babe, who's there?" Hercules called. Alex and Laf ushered their parents inside and to the living room. Hercules and Eliza smiled, while John looked at the newcomers in confusion but gave a small smile in greeting.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Washington," Hercules greeted, smiling.

Martha huffed, "Young man, how many times have I told you, it's Martha and George to you."

"What are you guys doing up here?" Alex asked, glancing between his family. "And did you know about this?" He squinted at Laf.

"Peut être," their grin gave them away.

"Your birthday, since I couldn't get out of work last week." George put a hand on Alex's shoulder.

"You didn't have to! We're coming down in February!" He glanced back at Laf before his gaze darted to John who was looking quietly terrified. "Oh, oh yeah."

Alex bounced out from under George's hand and pulling John up from the floor. "This is the secret!" Alex had both hands on John's shoulders who looked like a deer in the headlights.

George looked like he was trying to hide his grin. "And who is this?"

"Uh, hi, I'm John." He belated held a hand out, even though the Washingtons were a little out of reach. But he was not about to abandon Alex's touch, the only thing keeping him together in the face of _meeting the parents_.

George came forward. "It's nice to meet you, young man." He looked to Alex. "But why was he a secret?"

"Hello, dear," Martha also took his hand as Alex bounced on his toes behind him.

"He's my soulmate!"

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Martha swept Alex into another hug.

"Congratulations, son!" George let his grin turn into a full smile. Laf was bouncing excitedly one their toes watching it all go down.

"Sorry about springing the parents on you, mon chéri. I had no idea they were coming up. If anything blame Laf." Alex pressed an apologetic kiss to his cheek.

John was still a little stunned. "It's okay, mon chou."

"You speak french as well?" George asked. "We're officially outnumbered, hon." He added to Martha.

"Um, yeah. I wouldn't call myself fluent but I know a bit."

"Pfft, 'a bit'?" Alex put his arms around John's shoulders, going on his toes so he wasn't just strangling him from behind. "John here can keep up with Laf and me pretty easily. Plus, he knows Spanish." John reached a hand up to bop Alex on the head. "Hey!" Alex ducked away, releasing John in the process. He danced away and curled his arms around Laf's waist, feeling so happy he needed to hug _someone_. He peeked out from behind Laf who raised an arm so that he was more to their side than their back. They settled their arm so that Alex was in a half hug.

George smiled at Alex's happiness. He had been so worried for him when he was first placed with them. He was so small George was afraid he would snap him in half with an over enthusiastic hug. The boy had lived through the illness that killed his mother, lived through the hurricane, _then_ lived through the resulting illness of inhaling so much ocean water.

But seeing where the boy was now made him so proud of everything Alex had done.

"You boys wouldn't mind if we stole your soulmates for dinner would you?" Martha asked Hercules and John. "Oh! I'm sorry, what pronouns do you use, John?"

John smiled at the thoughtfulness, he never really heard people of Martha's generation asking except for some school staff in the queer resource department.

"I use he/him."

"She/her," she placed a hand on her chest before setting an arm on George's arm, "he/him." John nodded his understanding.

"Feel free to steal them," Hercules answered.

"We'll cook dinner here tomorrow and then you can properly get to know John when he's not petrified." Alex was still hanging off of Laf's side, enjoying the warmth.

John spluttered, "I'm not petrified! Meeting the parents is a big deal! And it was just sprung on me!" John waved an arm, Eliza leaning back from it. "You quiet!" He pointed a finger at a smiling Lafayette.

"Moi? I didn't say anything."

"That grin says it all." Everyone was still as John glared but the feigned tension was broken when the college students broke into laughter.

* * *

When they got back from dinner John was reciting something from the book in his hands to Hercules who was knitting. They discovered they were both in the same gen ed classes only at different times but with the same professor. So they ended up studying together some nights.

"We're back~!" Alex singsonged as he swanned into the room, interrupting John's reading with a kiss. Lafayette stealing their own boyfriend's lips for a peck.

"Have fun?" John asked, taking note of the page number before setting the book down.

"Yup! Man, they had the _best_ Caribean food I've had since coming here." Alex pretended to swoon, collapsing into the couch.

The small family typically tried to rotate in dishes from their children's native lands but always made sure to go for their birthdays _at least_.

Unnoticed by the students, the Washington parents glanced at each other. Silently communicating. With a nod from Martha and a hand reaching into her purse George spoke.

"Hey, Alex? We wanted to give you your birthday present."

Alex lifted his head from the back of the couch. "Hm? I got it last week? You mailed it?"

"There's no limit on the amount of presents we're allowed to give you," Martha teased, pulling the envelope out of her bag.

Alex stood, glancing at Laf when they started to bounce in excitement. He gave his sibling a raised eyebrow before taking the manila envelope. It seemed like everyone was holding their breath as he opened it. He studied the paper in confusion, scanning the document before realization struck.

"J'y crois pas..." He muttered softly as he ran a reverent finger along the title of the document.

"Alex?" George asked anxiously. Not much could make the self-assured man feel this way but family could always get to him.

Alex was a flurry as he tackled George in a hug, babbling between French and English so rapidly that John's mind couldn't keep up. Laf was sure that, in his excitement, he was reverting to his more native dialect.

"What is it?" Hercules asked, sharing a look with John who was equally lost.

Alex disengaged with the hug with George to hug Martha who found herself the receiving end of whispered French and English gratitudes. He stepped back fully, bouncing and smiling just as widely as Lafayette. His mind was a whirlwind of excitement and he tried to order his thoughts into some sort of coherency. French and English clamored over each other and twisted into one another in his mind as he tried to vocalize his excitement.

George relaxed at how well their present was received, even if Alex had yet to spout a sentence one of them could fully understand or translate.

John was trying to tamp down his alarm at his love's lack of words, something he usually never ran out of, and the shine in his eyes that foretold tears.

Laf laughed, "Mon petit lion, je pense ton petit ami es inquiète."

"Pas vrai!" John denied even though he _was_ worried.

Words were still not coming in properly so instead he thrust the papers at John, Hercules looking over his shoulder.

"That's amazing, man!" Hercules exclaimed.

John took in the information slowly, a smile forming as he read. _Adoption_.

Alex had told him one night, in the cover of darkness and a backdrop of rain, how he had been fostered by the Washingtons but was unable to be adopted like he quietly wanted because his biological father was kicking up _just_ enough fuss to keep delaying the process.

How when he turned eighteen he pretended like it didn't matter because he was a legal adult now. Why would he need to be adopted anyway?

He talked about how he battered his relationship with George, declaring every time that 'I'm not your son' with so much venom that George stopped calling him son altogether. They recovered from it but George still hesitated to use it.

Besides Laf, John was the only other person to know exactly how conflicted Alex was on what to call George. Especially within the man's earshot. The others probably picked up on it but didn't know the depth of Alex's feelings on the matter.

"Oh, mon trésor," John smiled, accepting the whirlwind hug of his Alexander.

"Now, it's not official yet because we need your consent but everything else is in order."

"Thank you, thank you, merci! I'm so happy!" It was like he couldn't decide to hug because he next swept up Lafayette into a hug before returning to George and Martha again. He went suddenly still, biting his lip, looking off to the side at the floor. "Thanks, mom, dad," he made quick eye contact as he said so.

"Our pleasure," George swallowed what emotion he could, "son." A tear finally slipped down Alex's face as he hugged the older man, sniffling into his shoulder. Martha hugged both of them and Laf quickly joined the family hug.

"This is adorable," Hercules commented from his place next to John by the coffee table.

"He's always adorable," John said, tilting his head as he took in the scene.

"Shut up you," Alex grumbled, freeing a hand to flap at John from inside the hug.

"I think you mean _they're_ adorable." Hercules was watching the soft, fond smile his soulmate had for their family.

"Oh, we doing this Mulligan?" John challenged. "We all know my soulmate is the bestest." Alex snorted into his dad's chest before pulling back to share a look with Laf.

"Boys, boys, we're both pretty," they said as they pulled away from the hug, the other three following.

"But neither of us can be the best soulmate when John definitely beats all of us."

"Excuse-toi. You said Hercules's name wrong."

"Children, children. I think you're obviously forgetting the royalty before you." George declared as he wrapped an arm around his flustered wife, kissing her cheek.

There was a pause where Laf and Alex glanced at each other and tried to figure out if they should respond with childish disgust at seeing their parents being mushy or play along. With an eyebrow raise from Alex and a head tilt from Laf, their decision was made.

"All hail the Queen!" They exclaimed together before bowing deeply before looking up and smiling cheekily. John smiled before joining them in their exaggerated bow. Hercules snorted at their antics before giving a more subdued bow.

"Oh stop it!"

Laf came out of their bow, their smile more affectionate. "Let's play some games before we retire for the night."

In order to fit their parents, Eliza would take the couch for the night and Alex would stay with John. In the past, one of them would just make themselves comfortable on the floor. Martha would take Eliza's twin bed and George would take Alex's.

"We'll be back by nine tomorrow morning," John promised as Alex walked out the door throwing his head back groaning dramatically. "I know, I know. I'll make sure there's coffee."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So I'm definitely smudging timelines here. I pushed the hurricane up in Alex's personal timeline so it happened more immediately after he and his mother got sick. I only did a cursory glance over fostering/adoption so please excuse any inaccuracies there. But yes! Adult adoption is a thing!
> 
> French Translations:  
> "Un moment," = "One moment,"  
> "Allô, mes parents!" = "Hello, parents!" (From my understanding of French "Allô" is how you say hello specifically on the phone. I'm not sure if the convention is different since this is a casual conversation)  
> "D'accord, d'accord." = "Okay, okay."  
> "Salut!" = "Bye!" (I believe salut is both a casual hello and goodbye but obviously in this context means bye)  
> "Peut être," = "Maybe/potentially," (Gonna be honest here, I'm not sure if it's supposed to be hyphenated for not)  
> "J'y crois pas..." = "I can't believe it..." (The correct spelling would be Je n'y crois pas but according to the website I stole this off of when spoken people drop the n'/ne)  
> "Mon petit lion, je pense ton petit ami es inquiète." = "Little lion, I think your boyfriend is worried."  
> "Pas vrai!" = "Not true!"  
> I didn't translate some of the one word things and I don't think I'll always translate the pet names unless they're new.
> 
> (You don't have to read the following bit it's just some in world explanation). Okay, so in the course of writing this, I realized that Alex would actually know a creole language instead of straight up French. Modern day Nevis also speaks Saint Kitts Creole which is more English based with words of African descent with minimal if any influence of the French. However, I'm going to say that, since his maternal grandfather was French, his mother would know French and pass it onto him. Because he didn't grow up in France he has a different accent to Lafayette but basically speaks the same french with some differentiation. He'd probably know this creole language but doesn't use/forgot it since he barely used it on the island where he predominately used English and French to communicate.
> 
> Historically Hamilton did speak French but I feel like I need an in universe/modern explanation for why he does so (which is difficult given all the change that has occurred on Nevis).
> 
> ~Dawn


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More fluff, even less plot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Okay that took less time than I thought. Honestly, this is like 2.7k words of pure plotless fluff. The concept of the last third of this chapter was my original idea but then Alex and John decided to get sappy on me. Ideas still welcomed and let me know if y'all want more plot or if you're alright with this slice of life(?) thing I'm doing. But I'm letting you know if you want plot then you'll need to help with ideas.

Alex's fingers flew across his keyboard as he sat on the floor to work at the coffee table, using the couch as a backrest.

John had stretched himself across the couch and was switching between apps as he had given up on his homework for the night.

As another app failed to keep his attention he sighed and let his phone drop onto his chest. He blinked at the ceiling before letting his head fall to the side to look at Alex. He studied his soulmate's profile, eyes falling to his lips as Alex bit them in thought. He was still vaguely in disbelief that he had found him so soon after moving to the state. It had only been a month but it was probably one of the best months of his life.

He was sure he looked like a love-struck fool, just drinking in the sight of Alex with heart eyes. Even if he had a reason he wouldn't be able to hide his feelings. They were just too much for his body to handle.

He blinked back to his physical self when Alex huffed and briskly shoved a piece of hair behind his ear. Much of it had fallen out of the quickly tied ponytail when Alex declared he had inspiration and dove for his laptop. John had smiled and attempted to get some of his own work done.

He locked his phone as he sat up, sitting it next to him on the couch. His legs were now on either side of Alex who hadn't indicated he was aware of John's movements. With a careful hand, he gently pulled the hair tie from Alex's hair. He had been thinking about how soft it looked (and from past experience he knew it was) and realized he could just play with it if he wanted to.

Alex didn't react when he ran his fingers through the strands. He finger-combed the hair, contemplated what he wanted to do. He only knew a couple of braids, the french braid was his weakest so he decided to start on that. Alex continued typing.

He did and re-did the braid a couple of times, each time something was wrong. He wasn't frustrated, he found it calming. He moved on to doing smaller braids on the side, seeing if he could braid it back, keeping it out of Alex's way. He followed the same pattern for a time, undoing and redoing sections.

Alex was tugged back to reality when he leaned forward suddenly to read some small print and his hair prevented him from doing that. He blinked to himself suddenly registering the warmth at his back and sides.

"Welcome back, mon trésor," John smiled as he tugged lightly on the hair in his hands.

"Huh, what?" Alex tried to turn to look back at John, still not fully aware.

"Hey, don't move, I was almost done, I kind of like this one." John had braided the left side of Alex's hair leading to the back of his head. Effectively keeping it out of the way. The hair tie was larger than the braid called for but that just meant he had to loop it around more times.

Alex still looked vaguely lost as he reached his hand up to tap the side of his head, where he finally realized why his range of movement had diminished.

"How long...?"

"I dunno," John glanced at Alex's laptop for the time but realized he didn't know what time he started, "a while." He shrugged.

Alex hummed, leaning back more fully against John once he was done tying off the hair. "Hey," Alex tilted his head back, getting a kiss on the nose once it was in range.

"Hey," John smiled.

"Did you want to do anything for Valentine's?" Alex asked.

The holiday was coming up, and then that weekend they were heading down to celebrate George's birthday.

"You mean besides spend it with you?"

"Pfft, sap."

"And you love it."

Alex grinned, "I do." John leaned down to kiss him on the lips.

"Anyway, I don't know. Everyone else is gonna go out so it'll probably be crowded. I'd rather avoid that mess. Plus, my Fridays are packed so I'd end falling asleep in the middle of the date."

"That's true. We can do something Valentiney on not Valentine's. Maybe do something when we go down this weekend?"

"But it's your dad's birthday."

"I don't have to spend the entire weekend with him. Plus I'm sure my parents will want a date night of their own. Laf and Herc were also probably planning a date."

"Then yeah, let's do it."

"We're doing gifts right?"

John raised an eyebrow, "You ask in a way that sounds like you already have one picked out if not already bought." At the speed at which Alex avoided eye contact, John was willing to bet he already had it in his possession.

"You don't have to get me one, like my birthday was only a month ago. I just saw this thing and I thought it would be perfect for y-" John bopped him on the nose, it surprised Alex enough for him to stop talking long enough for John to interject.

"Don't worry, I did the same thing."

Alex let out a surprised laugh. "Well, I can see why we're soulmates." John's breath caught at the sparkle of genuine happiness in Alex's eyes. He couldn't help himself and ducked down to bestow yet another kiss, this time to his boyfriend's forehead.

* * *

"Hey, Laf?" They looked up from their phone at John. Raising an eyebrow at the shifty stance of their brother's boyfriend.

"Oui?"

"Alex is out, right?" John glanced at Alex and Eliza's closed bedroom door before scanning what he could see of the kitchen.

"He's proudly bisexual," Laf's lips twitched at John's exasperated sigh.

"Why are y'all like this? You know what I meant."

They did indeed but they also wanted John to be not as tense. "Yes, he's out. What do you need?" Laf wasn't sure if they should be worried. John was nervous about something but didn't seem distressed.

"What's your schedule like on Fridays? I don't have a lot of free time but I still wanted to give Alex something. I was wondering if you could deliver it?"

They thought over their schedule and where any substantial free time occurred. "I have time in the morning after my first class. I believe Alex is out of class also. But weren't you two planning on a date when we went home?"

"We did, yes. But I still wanted to give him something day of. He's getting his, I guess, 'real' present this weekend."

"Alors, qu'est-ce que tu lui donnera?"

"A-uh, flower?"

"What kind?"

"Green carnation," Laf smiled widely, immediately knowing the meaning of the flower*.

"He'll love it." John let go of the tension he hadn't been entirely aware he was holding. "Mon frère might be a romantic but he's," Laf tilted their head, "unconventional. He would appreciate a green carnation more than any amount of roses."

"Merci beaucoup, Laf," John smiled in relief. "I'll probably drop it off the night before? If that's alright?"

"Oui, should be. Text me and we'll see where Alex is then."

With that plan in place he went back to his apartment.

* * *

Alex scowled as he left his early class, itching to pull out his phone and type his rant to John. But his boyfriend would be in class and will be for the next long while. And even if he wasn't he only had a limited break for lunch. John had told him multiple times that it was okay to text him while he was class since he'd likely wait to read when he could anyway, Alex didn't want to tempt him on his longest day of the week.

So instead, he ranted to himself, waiting for the time he could unload onto one of his friends. He glanced at the time. If the line wasn't too long he might be able to pick up some coffee before his next class.

"Mon lion!" Alex turned at the call. Laf was smiling widely as their long strides ate up the distance between them.

"Salut!"

"Ça va?" Laf tilted their head and Alex took that to mean they could walk and talk.

"Eh, comme-ci, comme-ça. My morning class was a little irritating. You?"

"Très bien," Laf nodded. Hercules had surprised them with a necklace this morning. They hadn't been expecting it and they had been riding the emotional high from it since. "I have something to give you."

Alex looked over at his sibling, confused. "What?"

Laf came to a stop and ushered Alex to the side, out of the flow of foot traffic. They then revealed what they had been hiding behind their back. "From John!" They declared as they held it out.

Alex's eyes went wide as he registered the flower. He grabbed it from Laf, still bemused. Laf was still smiling widely when Alex finally realized the significance.

"Oh my god, we're one of those couples aren't we?" Alex smiled as he fiddled with the stem. And by that, he meant they were the type of couple to do something really sweet but not in the 'normal' way. John gave him a _cabbage_ plush when it could have easily been a teddy bear. And now, John could have just sent roses, and while carnations weren't out of the ordinary for Valentine's Day, _green_ carnations were. "Thanks, Laf, for delivering this."

"De rien," they hugged briefly before Laf darted away.

Alex continued on to his next class, entirely forgetting the irritations of his morning.

* * *

John tried to blink the formulas out of his mind as he zombied his way out of lab so he thinks he should be forgiven for not noticing his boyfriend right away.

By this time on Fridays, Alex was usually in a club meeting but it either got cancelled or he skipped and John wasn't sure which one was more likely.

Also by this time on Fridays John was trudging home while eating a granola bar to tide him over until he could make or heat up dinner. But he's not ashamed to admit that, once he did register Alex's presence his focus narrowed onto the cup he was holding out. He made grabby hands as they closed the distance, immediately sucking up some smoothie when it was in his hands. Alex laughed and kissed him on the cheek.

"God, I'm so tired. When are we heading out tomorrow again?" After another couple swallows, he reciprocated the cheek kiss.

"Some ungodly hour. I think it was eight so we'd arrive for lunch. We can sleep in the car. Laf said they'd drive there. I'll probably be driving us back up."

John's face scrunched before he put his head on Alex's shoulder. "Mmm, brain freeze." His soulmate only laughed at his pain. He debated poking him in the stomach but that would make him move away and, despite the pain, was comfortable where he was. When it passed he lifted his head, took Alex's hand, and started walking.

"I'm taking over your kitchen and making you food tonight, by the way. You can't stop me."

John smiled around the straw. "Why would I want to?"

* * *

The three couples went on their separate dates that night, Sunday would be George's celebration and Monday they would just hang out until the students left in the late afternoon.

George and Martha went to dinner. Laf and Herc went, well John wasn't entirely sure but Laf was dressed in a ballroom looking gown and Hercules was dressed to the nines. Alex had raised an impressed eyebrow. "Très belle, mon arbre."

"Why, merci, mon petit lion," Laf had lightly twirled, brushing Alex and John's shins with the skirt of their dress. They planted a light kiss on Alex's cheek before sweeping out the door with Hercules.

"Well now that we have the house to ourselves..." John raised a suggestive eyebrow.

"We also have a date to get to!" Alex lightly shoved his soulmate.

"Oh, alright," John sighed dramatically, turning to put his coat on.

Their date was more low key than the other two couples. They went to the movies and got burgers afterward.

Alex waved his hands as they talked about the movie. He had sunk his teeth into a problematic plot point and had proceeded to reimagine the movie. He nearly choked on his fries when he shovelled a few in without pausing his rant. John pushed Alex's drink closer to him.

"Talk _or_ eat, babe. You can't do both."

Alex glared from where he was coughing into his arm.

"Watch me," he said and shoved more fries into his mouth.

Even though he still had a pile of his own, he stole some from Alex's tray.

"Do you want to do gifts now? Before you asphyxiate on french fries?"

"I'm not gonna asphyx-" Alex broke into a cough, "-iate." He finished lamely. Pouting at John who was smiling widely at him.

"So?"

"Yeah, let's do it." They both reached into a pocket, clenching their hands around the trinkets and hiding them under the table. "Who goes first?"

"Same time?" John proposed.

"Nah, I wanna see your reaction. I'll go first." Alex said, already lifting his out from under the table. John left his gift for Alex in his lap so he'd have both hands free.

Alex opened his hand, letting it dangle from his fingers. It was a keychain, John's eyes scanned it as he reached for it. There were several metal rings making one thicker ring. Each of the individual rings were different colors and it took him a moment to realize it was the rainbow.

"It's called an infinity love knot. I know you haven't put the pride pins on your bag yet and this isn't me pressuring you in any way but I thought it could be subtle. No one really sees your keys and from a distance, they wouldn't even be able to see the colors, they'd probably just think it was a cool design or something, I dunno. Or I guess you could just leave in your room and use it as decoration, I didn't even think about that. One of the people in my high school queer club had a necklace version but I felt that that was less subtle unless you kept it under your shirt but there's always a chance-"

"Alexander," John smiled so Alex knew he wasn't annoyed.

"Right, yeah, sorry," He said sheepishly, ducking his head.

"I love it. I really like the idea of something a little more subtle. It's a really thoughtful gift, thank you." He pushed their trays to the side so he could capture one of Alex's hands on the table. He brought it up to kiss the back of it, Alex looking pleased but flustered at the move. "I kind of wish I got something more but I don't regret it." He placed the keychain on the table to retrieve Alex's gift.

He presented it to Alex, palm up. It took Alex a second to read it before he burst into laughter so loud the cashier was startled out of their half doze. His boyfriend's unrestrained laugh brought a bright smile to his own face.

"I take it you like it?"

"Of course!" Alex did let go of his hand then to hold the gift in both hands. It was a button, the background was black with white text, with the exception of one word. It read: "I'm not gay but my boyfriend is!". Gay, of course, written in rainbow font. Alex grinned broadly at it. "Oh man, I love this. Thank you." Alex leaned over the table, John rose to meet him in a kiss.

Once they were seated again, Alex immediately put the button on his shirt. John took out his keys to attach the keychain. He admired his keys for a moment before he was reminded of their food when Alex snatched some fries from John's pile.

"Hey!"

"Revenge, my dear Laurens." He said with a flourish.

"You really want to start something, Hamilton?" John threatened playfully.

"With you? Always." John had been ready for teasing, maybe an innuendo. But Alex's suddenly soft voice and tender look had him unraveling. John didn't know what to say to that.

In the face of his victory Alex stole more fries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN:  
> French Translations:
> 
> "Alors, qu'est-ce que tu lui donnera?" = "So, what are you giving him?" (Okay so, I don't really know future tense in French so this could be wrong, just a disclaimer.)  
> "Merci beaucoup" = "Thank you very/so much"  
> "Salut!" = "Hey!"  
> "Ça va?" = "What's up/how's it going?" (This is not a direct translation but in French, it serves the same function.)  
> "Eh, comme-ci, comme-ça." = "Eh, so-so." (Similar as above)  
> "Très bien," = "Very good,"  
> "De rien," = "No problem," (Literally translated is "of nothing")  
> "Très belle, mon arbre." = "Very beautiful, my tree." (As you may note "belle" is the feminine form. There's no neutral version for Alex to refer to Laf with. In this Alex is referencing both Laf and the dress and since "dress" is a feminine word he went with belle instead of beau.)
> 
> *in case you didn't know green carnations represent homosexuality thanks to our man Oscar Wilde
> 
> So yeah, this was born from the idea of Alex having the 'im not gay my boyfriend is' button. The infinity love knot is indeed a thing (I'm not sure I did its description any justice so look it up if you really want to know).
> 
> Also, I finally got to include "dear Laurens"! I've wanted to put it in but in a more modern context, people don't often refer to one another by last name.
> 
> Another note, I had operated under the idea that GWash's bday was the 17th of February. I got this result because I thought President's Day was his birthday and looked up that day. I didn't realize that President's day had been standardized to the third Monday in February until after I wrote this and the previous chapter (don't ask me how I didn't realize since it's always a three day weekend). Therefore, I am keeping it the 17th in this universe (Also, what day of the week a date falls on is based on this year-2020). Historical GWash was born February 22nd.
> 
> ~Dawn


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More hurt/comfort than fluff and more friendship than romantic but still cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So the actual idea that had me writing this chapter isn't actually in this chapter. I have decided to split it into two chapters since it was getting long (5k words maybe longer since I haven't actually finished what I'm dubbing "part II"). I know you guys wouldn't mind that but I'd like to keep chapter lengths semi-consistent. Plus, editing/copy-pasting into ff.net and here is just easier when it's slightly shorter. I'm just used to working with 1-3ish thousand words if I'm looking for quicker updates. (Plus I have to comb through for French so I can provide translations).

Out of all the days in February for the sun to show its face it was today. Alex squinted angrily as he walked directly into it. A headache not helping the matter.

He was too tired to figure out where it came from. Lack of sleep, water, or caffeine. Probably all three. He had been running late in the morning and had no time to grab any coffee.

"Alex!" He turned away from one brightness to another. Though John's smile was far more pleasant.

"Hey!" They didn't usually meet up at this time so seeing his boyfriend was a pleasant surprise. "What's up?" In response, John held out a coffee cup with a smile. "Oh my god, you're the best." He grabbed it with both hands, holding it close to his chest and letting the warmth soak into his finger. He smiled gratefully after he took several gulps. He might have complained just a little about the lack of caffeine in the group chat during his first class.

John swerved around him, "C'mon, I have time to hang with you until my next class." Alex turned and reared back slightly, somehow having completely forgotten about the sun. He huffed but pushed on, John at his side.

He was surprised when John took his hand, he shot him a questioning look. John smiled sheepishly before turning enough for Alex to see his backpack. Several of his pride pins were now attached to it.

John had at first been hesitant about putting the pins on. But after a month he felt safer and more relaxed. He'd seen a number of other students on campus with various pins on their bags. And the friends he didn't share with Alex were all accepting (after he had hinted he was in a romantic relationship with his soulmate who was also a guy).

John had been skittish about physical contact in public, especially on campus. Alex hadn't been thrilled but kept his hands to himself. He was ecstatic that John was more comfortable now.

Alex gave John an encouraging look and tightened his grip just slightly in reassurance.

* * *

Alex desperately wanted to sleep, which was odd for him, but he just wanted a reset. He was sitting in the library, scowling at his laptop that threatened to die on him, and in the same morning rush that left him uncaffienated, he didn't grab his charger. His earbuds were tangled beyond belief because he did remember to grab those but could only shove them into a pocket haphazardly.

His headache still hadn't fully gone away even after the coffee and half his water bottle.

There was a soft hand on his shoulder and he looked over it to find Eliza standing there with a concerned face.

"How are you doing?" She sat down next to him.

He debated what to tell her. If he expressed his desire for sleep she might be overly alarmed with the out of character admittance. He could probably safely complain about the headache, laptop, and earbuds since she wouldn't believe him if he said he was fine. He probably looked like more of a wreck than usual if he was being honest to himself.

"I've had a headache since this morning," he sighed, finally closing his laptop so he could put his head down in his arms.

"I'd offer pain meds but Isabella* was caught off guard by cramps this morning." Eliza usually always carried around a dose or two of a couple different meds either for herself or her friends.

"It's okay, I'll survive."

"How bad is it? Do you think you should go home?"

He blinked up slowly, trying to gauge exactly how bad it was and estimate if he could survive his next class.

"I dunno. But I don't want to miss my next class. I did research specifically for if I get into a debate with Jefferson." Eliza gave a disbelieving huff at "if".

"Alright," she pulled her backpack on to lap, "you probably haven't eaten so that likely isn't helping anything." She rooted around the bottom of her bag before pulling out a snack bar. She placed that on the table by Alex's right elbow and dragged his bag closer, dropping a package of trail mix into the front pocket. She grabbed his water bottle along with her own and went to go fill them up.

"I don't know how I would survive without you guys," he said upon her return. "John brought me coffee this morning." His voice was muffled as he turned his head to hide from the light better.

"Aw, that's sweet." He heard the soft thuds of the water bottles being set down. "Eat." He felt the bar being pushed against his elbow.

Without lifting his head yet, he grabbed it with his left hand. He dragged it closer as he sat up. Eliza had stayed just long enough for him to finish his snack before she left for class.

* * *

He'd admit, eating even just that little bit helped. There was still a dull ache but it didn't throb in time to his heartbeat anymore. The sun was no longer a problem as the sky had turned into a giant gray sheet while he was in the library.

He munched on the trail mix as he walked to his last class. By the time he arrived, he was a little less than ten minutes early and his food was gone. He took his usual seat in the front left and pulled out his notebook.

In the time he had remaining before class started he realized how blessedly cool the table was and slumped forward to put his forehead on it, bringing his arms around to block out the light.

"What's wrong with you?" Jefferson jostled his seat on the way past to his own, Madison had already shuffled by.

Alex grunted in annoyance. Both at Jefferson's presence and the throb his head gave at the sudden jostling. "Headache," Alex grumbled as he sat up.

Jefferson sat down to his right, a seat empty between them. No one sat there, as their classmates had learned, you do not want to get between Hamilton and Jefferson. Madison was on Jefferson's other side.

Unbeknownst to Alex, who was glaring at his notebook, Thomas glanced at James. He understood the question and went to search his bag, after having pulled out his supplies for this class. He pulled out a bottle, checked the label before passing it to Thomas.

Alex broke his stare with his notebook when he registered movement from the corner of his eye. Jefferson was retracting his arm and close to Alex was a bottle. He tried not to show his relief as he checked the bottle before pouring a couple of pain killers out.

He slid it across the empty space between them and snatched his water bottle from where he put it on the ground.

By all accounts, it looked like Hamilton and Jefferson were rivals if not enemies. Like they hated one another with a passion. But really, they found it enjoyable to debate ( _coughfightcough_ ) with one another.

Any acts of kindness between the two were usually left unsaid and unacknowledged. Once, the classroom's heating had broke and Jefferson did not have the layers to deal with it. Alex happened to have one of Lafayette's jackets in his bag (sometimes he just liked to wear his sibling's coats) and had draped it across the back of the empty chair between them. Thomas pretended to ignore it before casually shrugging it on.

They had once teamed up against a homophobic protester? Preacher? They weren't really sure why they were yelling in the middle of the main square but neither of them liked it. They smoothly dismantled all of the man's arguments, seamlessly finishing each other's thoughts. Their nearly identical self-satisfied, predatory grins were probably what drove him off in the end.

Alex had found the flabbergasted crowd of students around them amusing. None of them could believe he and Jefferson could stop fighting each other long enough to turn it on someone else.

Class started as usual and his headache left without him really noticing. He got to use his well-researched points against Jefferson before the teacher sighed tiredly and told them to sit down.

When they were dismissed Jefferson and Madison left, Alex went to the bathroom before leaving the building. The other two men were talking at the bottom of the stairs. Alex, exuberant that he was free from class for the day and could finally go home and possibly take a nap, bounded down the stairs.

However, the universe decided it wasn't done messing with one Alexander Hamilton that day. On the last couple steps Alex misstepped and his ankle rolled, pitching him forward.

On instinct, Thomas reached out, clasping forearms with his rival as he fell. It didn't do much in keeping Alex upright but it did soften the landing on his knees. Thomas crouched slightly so that Alex's arm wasn't wrenched awkwardly above him.

Alex slipped his arm out of Jefferson's grip, registering the pain in his ankle, knowing that even if Jefferson did help him up he wasn't sure if he'd be able to stay that way.

The two men who were still standing glanced at each other with furrowed brows. Alex may be their rival (more Jefferson's than Madison's) but they didn't actually want him to come to any real harm.

"Hamilton, you okay?" Madison asked. For appearance sake, Jefferson didn't.

Alex hissed as he rolled to sit up, keeping his ankle off the ground. He tried to flex his ankle and while it wasn't excruciating he probably couldn't (nor shouldn't) walk on it. His messenger bag sat by his side, strap still loosely around his shoulder as he fell back dramatically (but carefully because concrete).

"Pretty sure I just sprained my ankle so there's your answer to that." He closed his eyes and slung as arm over them. Trying to breathe over the burning heat in his ankle. Alex ignored the two men hovering above him as he felt for his phone, only moving his arm once he held it above his face. He called Laf.

"Hey Alex, it's Hercules," Alex took his phone away from his ear and squinted at it before returning it.

"Why are you answering Laf's phone?"

"They're in the shower right now." Alex wanted to question it, they never took middle of the day showers. But he decided that, at that moment, he didn't really care.

"...right." Jefferson and Madison were still awkwardly hanging off to the side.

"Did you need something?" Hercules prodded.

"Oh, yeah, I tripped down the stairs and I do not think it'd be a good idea to put weight on my ankle right now."

"Where are you?"

"Outside the humanities building, next to that sculpture you don't understand."

"Because there's nothing _to_ understand-! No," Hercules took a breath, "so you need someone to come get you?"

"Preferably someone with a car because I don't want to limp all the way back to the apartment."

"I'll steal Laf's keys. Be there in a few."

"I really don't know what I'd do without you guys," he said in lieu of 'thanks'.

"Moaning in a miserable ball at the bottom of the stairs, starving and undercaffeinated." Hercules deadpanned, Alex could hear shuffling as he got ready to leave.

"Hey!" Alex protested even though it was probably true. "I wasn't asking, Herc! Besides worst-case scenario, Jefferson and Madison are still awkwardly hovering nearby." Alex glanced at the other two. Jefferson looked vaguely affronted, Madison only looked amused.

"Oh, then I better hurry, bye."

"See ya, " Alex sighed once he hung up. "You guys don't have to wait." He stared at the monochromatic sky, hoping that the slightly darker streak of gray amongst the rest didn't predict rain.

"What are you talking about? This is a perfectly reasonable place to eat," Jefferson turned to sit on the raised concrete wall that bordered some greenery and grabbed out a container. Madison rolled his eyes before holding out a hand to help Alex move out of the way of foot traffic that had been grumbling around them since he fell. Alex elected to sit on the ground and use the wall as a backrest, which had the added benefit of him not having to hold his leg off the ground. Madison sat between him and Jefferson and pulled out a tupperware. Jefferson was glaring into his, which appeared to hold a salad, before stabbing it aggressively.

Alex tilted his head back and let his eyes mostly close. He was amused at the looks they got as students walked by. No one had ever seen Jefferson and Hamilton _not_ at each other's throats before (besides the aforementioned homophobe incident). The three of them sat in silence, Alex tried to keep his breathing steady even when bolts of pain shot through his ankle. Thomas and James ate their salads, Thomas far more grumpily (James was trying to expand Thomas's salad options from just macaroni salad. He's had varying degrees of success).

"Alex!" All three of them turned to see Hercules jogging closer, only briefly giving Alex's rivals a perplexed look before stopping in front of his friend. "I parked as close as I could but you know we'll still need to walk a little."

Alex sighed out an exhausted, "Yeah." When he opened his eyes next was to Hercules's sympathetic look as he grabbed Alex's bag to throw over a shoulder.

"Try not to cause your premature end, Hamilton," Jefferson turned his nose up as he got up to leave.

"Do I look like the type of man to die?**" Alex asked Jefferson's back haughtily. The sniping was reassuring. Jefferson expressing his concern and Alex letting him know he'll be okay.

Hercules really didn't understand the dynamic _at all_. Their only interactions were arguments yet here Jefferson sat, waiting with Alex until Hercules arrived. He can only imagine Jefferson stayed of his own volition given that Alex certainly wouldn't have asked him to stay.

"Alright, how do you want to do this?"

"Uh," Alex considered the situation as Hercules hefted him and helped him balance on one foot. Hercules was almost half a foot taller than him. Using him as a crutch wouldn't be impossible but it would be awkward.

After maybe ten hops, and just as many spears of pain shooting through his foot he sighed and sagged, bringing Hercules to a stop as well.

"Alright, piggyback time," Hercules made sure Alex was balanced well enough, passing his messenger bag back to him. He settled it across his chest and Hercules moved in front of him. Hercules grabbed under his right knee, Alex put his hands on his shoulders before jumping with his left foot. Once standing straight, Hercules hitched him up a little higher before carefully making his way to the parking lot.

Alex wanted to argue about being carried but at least it was piggyback and not in Hercules's arms. Plus, he just really really wanted to be in a bed. He rested his head against his friend's, suddenly realizing he hadn't eaten anything but what Eliza gave him all day.

"Have you texted John? Let him know what happened?"

"Yeah," Alex had debated on texting John while in class. He was never sure if John read them right then even if he responded later, or if he did indeed wait until after class. But he figured he should let him know whenever he decided to check his phone. "He's in class for another..." when it took him longer than two seconds to think of the time he gave up, "while."

* * *

Home saw him bundled up in blankets in his bed, foot iced and elevated, and Laf fussing over him.

"Je vais bien," Alex swatted his sibling's prodding hands. "Seriously, I just want to _sleep_ now."

"C'mon, mon cœur. Let the man rest."

"Mais-!"

"Nope! I'm sleeping now." Since he couldn't dramatically roll onto his side he fluffed up the blanket and let it fall back over his head. This had the unfortunate side effect of pulling it off of his left foot.

Laf protested even as Hercules pushed them out of the room. He tugged the blanket back down to cover Alex's exposed foot on his way out.

"Someone will be back in twenty to remove the ice pack."

"Merci, mon arbre, mon héros!" He said as Hercules closed the door behind him. Despite being unable to contort himself as he usually does to fall asleep, he was out quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So yeah! Chapter 8 should follow soon, maybe this weekend or early next week. The night I was going to start writing this I got a headache and couldn't write. So I put it in the chapter when I started writing the next day. Also, a lot of these chapters seem to end with characters going to bed? Uh, yeah, it usually just ends up being a good place to end a chapter. Now that I noticed it I might try to vary it a little without stilting the work.
> 
> French Translations:  
> "Je vais bien," = "I'm fine,"  
> "C'mon, mon cœur." = "C'mon, my heart."  
> "Mais-!" = "But-!"  
> "Merci, mon arbre, mon héros!" = "Thank you, my tree, my hero!" (I liked the idea of Alex jokingly calling Hercules his hero. Both from "saving" him from Laf but also because, you know, Greek hero Hercules. Also, I've been trying to figure out what other French nicknames for Alex to call Laf so if any of you have any suggestions? I'd also accept English nicknames and either use them in English or translate them into French if applicable.)
> 
> *Historical Eliza did know an Isabella (which I imagine wasn't difficult as it is a common name) I just needed Eliza to have another female friend and wasn't sure what name to go with. Maria was my first reaction but I really don't know how to incorporate her. Especially since I don't truly know her characterization (and can't glean enough from other authors since A she's not even in a fic or B she's written as a side character either entirely based on the musical or as some combination of the Schuyler sister's personalities).
> 
> **if this looks familiar yes I did take this from a list titled "Raw Quotes to Use in Dnd" (I know this list is a compilation so the writer of the list isn't the person who came up with it but that's where I found it for my purposes in this fic.)
> 
> I really like the idea of Alex and Thomas being frenemies and not actually hating each other's guts. So that's the dynamic you get! I might actually let Burr make an appearance but I'll have to get around not mentioning him for a while even though he's John's flatmate. Besides him, I don't think any other Hamilton characters will make an appearance unless in passing (like maybe some generals as profs or something).
> 
> ~Dawn


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Direct continuation of chapter 7! This time with more John!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Pride, everyone! I started the year off with a gay fanfic (SPN fic _An Angel Gets His Halo_ ), therefore I start Pride Month with a gay fic!
> 
> Also apologies for saying I'd get this out like...wtf _three weeks ago._ Omg, I was completely unaware so much time had passed. I had been going nonstop because instead of _mid_ terms I had like a bunch of projects due three-fourths of the way through the quarter. Sorry to keep y'all waiting. I might be doing it again because I don't really have any ideas for another chapter plus finals are coming up. Hopefully, more will be coming in the summer but I also want to work on a PJO fic I have going ( _Seven for a Secret_ ) and/or converting a Sanders Sides fic I have into an original work (not posted). I've accidentally left the PJO one to sit but hey, it's just following in the steps of its predecessor that sat for a year before I came back to it.

He must have slept hard because not only was the ice pack missing from his ankle, the light outside the window was dimmer. Eliza was moving carefully through the room to her desk to grab something.

He gave a sleepy hum to let her know he was awake. He blinked slowly at her as she registered that he was conscious. Though not very lucid.

"Hey," she smiled, stepping closer, "You doing okay?" She kept her voice quiet which Alex appreciated, it felt like he could fall asleep again.

He gave another hum, which didn't really convey anything besides the fact that words were too cumbersome for him to articulate.

"Did you want to move to the living room? Laf's making dinner right now."

He thought about it briefly before hoping his speech won't come out too slurred. "Whenzit ready?"

"Yeah, I'll come get you then. Maybe another half an hour? An hour? Want me to send John in? He came in when you were asleep and didn't want to disturb you."

"Ouais, s'il te plait." Although he was almost convinced he'd be asleep again by the time John walked in. In between one blink and the next Eliza turned into John.

"Oh, mon chéri, today just hasn't been your day has it?" John kneeled by the side of the bed, softly scritching at Alex's scalp. The sensation sent a wave of relaxation down his body and he nuzzled into the hand.

"Mm-mm," He hummed the negative.

"Can I turn on the lamp to check your ankle? I think we should ice it before dinner."

Alex huffed a breath through his nose but pulled his blanket up to cover his face and hide from the light. John chuckled at the response and turned on a light.

"Here, give me your other ankle," John asked from the end of the bed. Alex stuck his foot out of his warm cocoon. "Yeah, definitely still swollen but it's not very dramatic. I'll get another ice pack."

After John made sure the ice was secure he climbed into bed with Alex, helping him move over slightly. Alex couldn't fully turn on his side but he did what he could while keeping his foot where it was. He nudged his left leg under John's right and snuggled into his side.

* * *

The next day John and Eliza (being far closer in height to him than Laf and Herc), helped him limp his way to the health center. They wanted to make sure they were doing the right thing and have someone show them how to properly wrap it (Laf had looked up videos and had gently wrapped it the other day, removing before bed, and rewrapping the next morning).

With two people it was far easier to use them as proper crutches than trying to hop with one person who was too tall.

Once he was seen and the three of them were instructed on his care they headed out. They had said it was just a minor sprain and he should feel better in a week but to be careful for another six weeks. They gave him crutches that he promised to return once he didn't need them.

"Hey, John, can I chill on your bed while you clean?" John had been planning on organizing his room and putting up a few more decorations.

"Sure."

It took some fiddling with the crutches to make them the right height and for him to get the hang of it. By the time they were going down the hall to John's apartment, he had it pretty figured out.

"I'll bring over your laptop and stuff, in case you wanted to work on anything," Eliza said, peeling away when they reached their apartment.

"You're an angel, Betsey." She smiled at him before entering and he and John continued on.

John didn't have classes on Tuesdays and Alex was ahead on all his work for the classes he was missing that day. That didn't stop Jefferson from texting him pictures of the lecture notes with a changed due date circled along with a middle finger emoji. He reacted to the picture and fired back a middle finger before glancing up at John who was standing with one foot on a chair and his knee on his desk trying to tape a drawing to the wall. The rest of the room had been cleaned and Alex only felt marginally guilty for just sitting on John's bed. But hey, he was in charge of the music so he was at least some sort of help.

"That's incredible, where'd you get it?" Alex said, tilting his head to contemplate it.

It was a beautiful pencil sketch of a bird flying up, wisps coming off of its extended wings. The bottom left corner had more structured lines in what Alex was guessing was the top of a cage, although the metal had been bent or broken. There were a couple of lines of blue throughout the otherwise black and grey drawing, highlighting lines of movement and light.

"Oh, uh," John suddenly looked self-conscious as he held the paper closer to himself. "I, uh, drew it."

"Woah, that's amazing. I mean, I've seen your doodles and those are so good but damn," Alex shook his head, "it's beautiful."

John ducked his head at the praise, "Thank you, " and resumed placing it on his wall. His doodles, most of the time, were more cartoony. Little creatures or people.

He hopped down from where he was perched, stepping back to make sure it was even before contemplating the other decorations he had laid out on his desk.

He had to step over Alex when he needed to tape something to the wall next to his bed, using his head to balance. Alex let out a little disgruntled noise but didn't try to dislodge John's hand. John dropped a kiss to his head when he moved away and stepped off the bed. Looking around he realized he had created a gradient either by color or theme across the walls.

Alex had started working on his laptop at some point when John was in and out of the room for laundry and when he went to do the dishes. John climbed over his legs again, careful of the elevated right, and plopped down perpendicular to him. He leaned his sketchbook on his knees, his feet under Alex's elevated one.

They worked peacefully with Alex's phone playing music. John wondered briefly what Alex was working on since his typing wasn't as frenzied as it would be for work. Though there were still moments of huffed frustration as he angrily tapped the backspace button.

Alex went back to his own apartment that night, they didn't want to risk accidentally jostling his ankle in the night if they slept in the same bed.

* * *

A week later saw Alex getting progressively more frustrated the longer he had to use the crutches. It also made him realize that even if the campus was _technically_ "accessible" it was a pain to find all the routes and entrances. He grumbled when he tripped slightly because using the dang things cost all of his attention and any lapse meant a possible tumble. He was so going to contact the disability resource people and get in contact with the club and see if they wanted his help pushing anything onto the administration. He was good at that. He was stubborn and irritating enough that higher ups usually couldn't ignore him.

He knew he was almost free of them, he had been tentatively walking on his ankle with the crutches taking some of his weight and it was only a little sore now. He had been carefully flexing it to see his range of movement and pain, plus some short limping trips to the kitchen from the couch as well (to the concerned protest of Laf).

* * *

He regretted his first day off of the crutches. His ankle was sore and had been for a while. Maybe he should have tried to ease into it more.

After consulting the nurses at the health center they were going to get a soft brace for him to wear for the rest of the healing period but they hadn't gotten around to getting one. (Thinking about it, he probably should have waited until after they got it before going crutchless).

He groaned loudly in relief once he was able to plop onto the couch and put his foot up on the table. John chuckled behind him as he shut the door.

"You okay?" Alex rolled his head to the side from where he had it resting on the back of the couch to glare at John. "Besides the obvious," John amended.

"Is ice an appropriate response to the pain? I never know what's supposed to be better for these things."

John walked closer, setting his bag down. "Is there swelling?"

Alex glanced at his foot, wincing at the thought of removing his shoes but sitting up to do so anyway. He undid the laces and loosened it as much as he could so he didn't yank at the joint. He was far less delicate with his other shoe.

It was minorly swollen and John clicked his tongue in disapproval even as he went to get ice.

"Voilà," John handed the ice over. Alex smiled, ever since they got together John had been throwing in more French (even if it was only a word or two). He was at a conversational level at least, not fluent, but having native French speakers to talk to helps.

"Merci, ma moitié." John stopped to process the pet name before grinning.

"Pas de problème, mon coeur." Alex beamed, gently wrapping the ice and holding it firmly for a few seconds. Relaxing went he felt it seep into the joint.

He and John sat with their arms touching as they relaxed on the couch. John was reading something on his phone and Alex dug his earbuds out of his pocket, sighing at the mess they were in that he never fixed. So they only got more impossibly tangled. He set his phone in his lap as he fiddled with the wires, alternating actually trying and just wiggling his fingers in and seeing if that loosens anything up.

After a prolonged struggle, John took pity on him and set down his own phone. He plucked the knot from Alex's hands before swiftly detangling them and passing them back. Alex pressed a kiss to his jaw excitedly in thanks before plugging them in.

John reached over, turning Alex's head for a kiss. He felt his soulmate relax into the kiss, their lips moved together unhurried. John chuckled slightly but didn't break the kiss when Alex moved his right hand to cup his face and the earbuds gently bounced against his cheek.

"You guys have a room!" Hercules exclaimed when he walked in the door, toeing off his shoes, Laf behind him.

"No thanks!" Eliza hollered from the closed bedroom door. "Go to John's if you want the privacy!"

They broke apart slowly, uncaring that they were caught.

"Don't worry about it, Eliza!" Alex yelled back.

Laf was smiling and Herc was more exasperated than annoyed so the two on the couch weren't worried.

* * *

John shot his soulmate a concerned glance when he shifted again, putting all his weight on his left foot. They were waiting in line for coffee and the seating area was full, so he couldn't shoo Alex off to find a table. He sighed quietly. Alex seemed unaware.

He was grateful he only barely taller than Alex in that moment. He wrapped his left arm around Alex's waist, a casual move to anyone watching but a calculated move on John's part. They hadn't really gone past hand holding in public yet so the half embrace was new. He moved to sling his right arm around John's shoulders before realizing what John was up to.

He was offering himself as a support as they waited so he didn't have to hot potato his weight between his aching feet and ankle. Alex sighed in relief and let his head rest on his arm that was across John's shoulders.

"Thank you," he whispered quietly.

"Of course, mon cher." He pressed his nose against Alex's hair stopping short at a kiss before moving away.

John supported Alex's weight mostly while they were standing still but he could feel that Alex was putting some weight on him when they shuffled forward.

"You're still coming over tonight, right?" John asked. He more often or not hung out at Alex's place since he was friends with everyone in the apartment. He barely talked with his own roommate. John wasn't even sure where he was half the time. He was either always out or deathly silent in his room.

"Yup. Are we cooking or ordering in?"

" _I'm_ cooking. You're sitting and resting your ankle."

"Hm, at least the view will be nice." Alex caught himself halfway to a nuzzle against John's neck. While _he_ was aggressively bi and unafraid to show it he had to remind himself that John wasn't comfortable with PDA.

Alex could tell John wanted to swat at him but it would be oh so cruel to attack your already injured boyfriend.

They finally got their coffee and Alex removed his arm from John's shoulder. Typically John walked on Alex's left since Alex's bag hung on his right side. But given that was his bad ankle John stayed there in case it decided to give out on Alex.

* * *

Alex stared unabashedly at his boyfriend as he moved through the small kitchen as he sat on the opposite side of the counter, technically in the living room. He found it adorable when John caught his eye before glancing away, ducking his head.

"You're like...really pretty," Alex said. John snorted a laugh. "What?"

"I'm sorry, it's just," John huffed, smiling, "The great Alexander Hamilton, known for his book length essays that his professors have to give him a maximum page limit, which," John flourished the spatula at him, "you get around by using the smallest font allowed, just complimented me with 'really pretty'." He wasn't mad. He smiled down in the pan. "Thank you, by the way."

"Watch it, Laurens," Alex smiled, "My professors might be able to limit my words but you can't." John raised an eyebrow. "Well, where should I start? I wish, my Dear Laurens, it were in my power, by actions rather than words, to convince you that I love you. I hardly knew the value you had taught my heart to set upon you," John turned his focus onto the recipe he had open in front of him. Reading none of it as Alex continued. "You should not have taken advantage of my sensibility, to steal into my affections without my consent." Alex's voice went soft and John risked a glance up, feeling his face warm up at having Alex's love directed at him. "But as you have done it, and as we are generally indulgent to those we love, I shall not scruple to pardon the fraud you have committed, on one condition; that for my sake, if not for your own, you will always continue to merit the partiality, which you have so artfully instilled into me." Alex sometimes slipped into an old-sounding way of speaking if only to make himself sound more dramatic.

John regretted saying anything. He did _not_ know what to do with himself when he received compliments, let alone the love letter Alex was spouting. And _how did he just say these things on the spot, oh my god._

When Alex went to say more John leaned over the counter, pulled him forward by his collar, and kissed him into silence. Well, _he tried to_. Alex, the dork, continued to mumble against his lips for another sentence or two.

John pulled back, "Shut up and kiss me."

"I told you, you can't limit my words," Alex smirked at him.

"'I wish it were in my power, by _actions_ rather than words, to convince you that I love you', was it?" John mocked.

Alex actually looked conflicted as he debated the merits of lavishing compliments on his soulmate and just kissing him until both of them were out of breath. John didn't want to wait and took the opportunity of Alex's silence to try and kiss him again. John felt Alex start and stop words before he finally gave up and kissed back.

An angry pop from the pan startled both of them and John slid back to his spot.

They snuck glances at each other, smiled, and giggled like they were passing notes in class.

* * *

After they had finished eating, Alex's head found it's way to John's lap, and his foot raised on the end of the couch. John had his legs on the coffee table, his laptop balanced on his shins.

Alex was wrapped in a blanket and his and John's intertwined hands rested on his chest. The warmth, darkness, quiet audio, and the weight of their hands made him incredibly sleepy. He turned his head away from the screen to nuzzle into John.

"Attends-toi, I have something I want to give you," Alex whined even at the prospect of a present. He was so comfortable and pretty much mostly asleep at this point. "Lève-toi, we should get to bed anyway. It'll be far more comfortable." Alex also should probably brush his teeth. John waited for Alex to move and went he didn't he wiggled his fingers in Alex's grip. When that didn't do much he freed his thumb and poked at Alex's neck. This elicited a sleepy grumble and his hand being tugged lower on Alex's chest. After a moment Alex exhaled deeply before rolling off the couch.

He pulled the blanket behind him like a cape and shuffled into the bathroom. John smiled at his irritated huff when he had to turn the light on. John glanced at Alex as he brushed his teeth on the way past to his bedroom. Alex's hair was already a mess and he was squinting grumpily at his reflection, all the while wrapped in a large blanket.

Once they were both settled into bed, John turned off his lamp.

Alex hummed, "Wait, didn't you say you had something to give me?" He mumbled, his face squished into the pillow.

"You're not even fully awake, mon étoile."

"Hmm, mhm, je t'aime, mon soleil."

"Goodnight, I love you too."

Alex smiled as he finally fully fell asleep.

* * *

Sleepy Alex was adorable and maybe he withheld coffee for a little bit just to watch Alex blink slowly into his cereal. He wanted his boyfriend to have some higher brain function when he gave him his present so he presented Alex with a mug and waited until he gulped down half of it and an extra ten minuted before placing a quick kiss to his temple and darting to his room. Alex's bemused 'wha-?' followed him.

"This is what I wanted to give you last night." He brought the small canvas out from behind his back and watched Alex's face. His soulmate's eyes got wide as he took in the art. John had recreated a picture of them and it took Alex's breath away. It was a picture of John kissing his cheek as Alex took the selfie but he had changed the background. He remembered taking the picture on a double date with Laf and Herc and they were outside the movie theatre. But here, they were in a field with a spattering of flowers around them. The sun made their hair shine, and Alex's smile was genuine and just a bit lopsided as he closed his eye against John's kiss. The colors were soft and Alex could only stare in awe.

"Wha...?"

"I know you've felt miserable with a sprained ankle so I wanted to cheer you up."

Alex looked up at John. His incredible, sweet, _perfect_ John. His dear Laurens. Other boyfriends might have given him a card or candy (the latter he would never turn down). But John had made something by hand that punched Alex in the gut with how much love he could read in every line.

"Oh my god, it's _incredible_." Alex finally took it from John to inspect it closer. He ran his thumb lightly below John's signature. "Thank you." He spread his legs so he could pull John close without having to stand up. The bar stool put him slightly higher so John had to look up more. Alex set the art on the counter before wrapping both his arms around John's neck and pulling him in for a kiss.

Alex eventually hung it up by his desk so he could look up at it while he worked. Eliza only smiled when she saw him stare lovingly at it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I've sprained my ankle twice so Alex's recovery follows mine. The first time I sprained it, it hurt like hell but I was walking without crutches after about a week (I think, this happened seven or so years ago). The second time I sprained it (same ankle) it was so bad they decided to put a cast on it. I can't really remember how long (this was four years ago) but I think either 3-4 weeks with an additional 2ish in a walking boot? (Yeah it was really bad.) I also sprained it the same way both times. I played basketball and jumped to get a rebound but on coming down landed on another player's foot which rolled my ankle.
> 
> And yes, Alex's little "love letter" is indeed real historical Hamilton's words. Although, as fans, y'all probably recognize it even though I took out the iconic "Cold in my professions, warm in my friendships" part given that the following "by actions rather than words" is also pretty recognizable.
> 
> French Translations:  
> "Ouais, s'il te plait." = "Yeah, please."  
> "Voilà," = "Here," (Okay so I wasn't entirely sure whether I should use voilà or voici, but I think I'm correct in using voilà here)  
> "Merci, ma moitié." = "Thank you, my other half." (Used in the same way/has the same weight as when English speakers use "better half")  
> "Pas de problème, mon coeur." = "Not a problem, my heart."  
> "Attends-toi..." = "Wait..."  
> "Lève-toi..." = "Get up..." (I think lève-toi can also be read as stand up/rise up but all these still fit the context)  
> "...mon étoile." = "...my star."  
> "...je t'aime, mon soleil." = "...I love you, my sun." (Two things here. One, I've used je t'aime before but didn't clarify. A lot of French learners think "aimer" is weaker than "adorer" (as the previous is "to like" and the latter "to love"). However, in French when you use je t'aime it does in fact mean "love" in the way English speakers mean it (that is it would be incorrect to translate it as "like"). Two, I _really_ like the idea of sun and stars for these two. Initially I was gonna have John be stars because of his freckles but like aesthetically I think it works the other way around. (And stars instead of the moon for Alex because even though I put him with the nighttime he still shines brightly))
> 
> Let me know if any of y'all have any ideas! There's a very vague one brewing but I'm afraid it'll turn a little too angst for this light heart fic. _If_ I ever get around to writing it and it does turn out too angsty then I might post it as a separate thing (and thus have a light hearted fic and an angstier one going. If that were to happen I will post an alert in an AN in this fic to let you guys know and connect the two as a series).
> 
> ~Dawn


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We are traveling back to Alex's freshman year of college y'all!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT CONTEXT PLEASE READ! This entire chapter is a flashback chapter that takes place Alex and Eliza's freshman (first) year and Laf and Hercules's sophomore (second) year. So, I'm sorry but no John this chapter. But there is more Thomas and Alex!
> 
> Also, for those who are unfamiliar with American universities, they run on either a quarter or semester system. Hamilsquad's fictional university uses the quarter schedule named after the four seasons. Normally students attend during the normal school year from fall to spring quarter with some taking summer classes if they wish (or have to). So that's what I'm referring to when I mention quarters, it's marking the passage of time. A quarter is about three months. (fall-late September to mid-December; winter-January to March; spring-April to mid-June. With Winter break (three weeks) separating fall and winter quarter and Spring break (one week) separating winter and spring).

Thomas pretty much literally turned his nose up at the kid that sat a couple of seats away. His shoulder bag was worn and he somehow already had crumpled papers sticking out of it despite this being the first class of the quarter. His hands were streaked with ink and he had a streak of pink highlighter on his chin. Thomas was set to dismiss him completely...until he spoke in class.

Thomas wanted to ignore him _so much_. He wasn't someone who had connections, he wasn't someone his parents would want him mingling with. There was no benefit. But he was _painfully_ intelligent. He was articulate if a tad prone to tangents. Thomas would also admit he had fun watching him verbally tear down their professor when she said something particularly homophobic or racist.

Thomas didn't get the other's name until three weeks into the quarter when he finally had the opportunity to read his name off of his coffee cup _Alex_. Thomas sorely wished this was a debate or discussion based class because he wanted to pick Alex's brain and argue but whenever he started their professor decided _two_ students against her were too many and shut it down. But sometimes when _he_ was the one to eviscerate their professor he caught Alex's expression. Something close to unfettered _joy_.

They didn't talk outside of class. Never had a reason to besides perhaps _hey, wanna argue for a few hours?_

James, patient James, even got tired of hearing about Alex after a time. Thomas tried to rein himself in. He only shared the funnier or more interesting bits of Alex's tangents.

* * *

The following quarter did in fact see them in a debate class together where Thomas finally learned Alex's last name, _Hamilton_. Thomas was equally pleased and frustrated because finally a _challenge_ but also Alex was a little shit. Thomas couldn't decide if he wanted to continue debating or murder Alex for the twerp's mocking smile.

It wasn't completely one-sided. He was able to stun Alex at about the same rate. Whenever that happened he could tell Alex felt the same way- pleased but irritated.

Their professor quickly learned to put them on a time limit whenever they talked in class. Somehow Alex talked impossibly _faster_. This had the fun side effect of his barely there accent thickening in some places but no one could place where it was from.

They actually shared two classes that quarter which is where Thomas was the most concerned. It was a general requirement math class. He hated it but worked through it quietly.

He would never admit it but he had mentally adopted Alex as a younger brother (which he tried to ignore given the fact they knew each other less than six months and their only interaction was pissing each other off in class). But where Alex excelled in their other shared classes he seems...subdued in this one. He trudged into the class and slunk into his seat (which instead of his front row preference of the other two classes he sat a row back from the middle and on the edge). Thomas never really got a chance to look at him during class given that he sat a little more forward but he had been running late one day and someone took his usual seat so he was actually diagonally behind Alex.

While Alex's handwriting was usually a mess the scribbles on his page were indecipherable. Partly due to the fact that he would be staring off into space, jolt back to reality and scribble down the board seconds before the professor erased it. Thomas doubted he was absorbing any of the material.

Despite trying to stuff his returned test into his bag as fast as possible Thomas saw the grade at the top. Alex had gotten a _D_ , a failing grade. Thomas tried to ignore Alex's carefully stiff posture and deliberate blinks for the rest of class.

Thomas knew Alex was smart. Their other classes proved it. He and Alex were the top two in their other shared classes. He knew that people could have an area they excelled in and an area where they struggled, it was pretty common since no one was good at _everything_. The thing was, he knew Alex was good at math. He understood finance and statistics well as they had come up in their other classes.

He also seemed to never turn in their assignment at the beginning of class. Some days Alex would be frantically digging through his bag while others he would be staring at his notebook in despair.

Thomas wanted to help but he didn't know how, or if he should. The two of them had already built up a reputation of disliking one another. And outside of that Alex didn't like accepting help from others. Thomas wasn't sure if it was a pride thing or just a bullheaded conviction that his own determination will mean he could overcome something. He'd have to be careful.

Which led him to stand next to the library printer trying to figure out how to copy his notebook. Apparently he hovered over the machine long enough that someone came over to help and he came away with the last two units of notes (he was semi-relieved that the tests weren't cumulative so he wouldn't have to print all of his notes. They were only halfway through the quarter but he was very thorough with math since he had a weaker grasp on it). He went over the copies with another color pen and highlighted some formulas so that his thought process was understandable. He wanted to answer any questions Alex might have so he didn't get stuck because he didn't want to ask Thomas directly. He noted extra examples in the textbook or relevant sections. Once he thought he combed through everything he tucked it into his math folder.

Despite both their eagerness to leave class at the end, Thomas and Alex often were among the stragglers. Thomas took the time to put away his pens and neatly tuck any handouts into his folder. Alex attempted to but usually just ended up stacking them on top of his notebook and stuffing it into his already stuffed bag. Thomas took this moment to make his move since the other students were all grouped around the prof asking questions, the two of them were going unnoticed.

He picked up his bag with his small packet in hand and walked up to Alex. The smaller student was still sitting, bent over trying to jam his pencil pouch in his bag when he looked up at Thomas's approach. He didn't say a word and merely held out the papers. Alex was slow to take them with a furrow between his brows. Thomas had added a blank page on the front so that it wasn't immediately obvious what the bundle of papers was. He walked out of the room just as Alex was scanning the first page. His heart was pounding as he took the stairs slightly faster than he normally did. He had added a sticky note to the first page that he hopes he won't come to regret. There were several crumpled copies in his recycle where he thought he had come off as too...stalkerish. He probably saved a whole pad of notes when he decided to try and draft the message in his notes app before committing it to paper.

The first iterations had been more truthful. The message he went with was more sarcastic and danced around what he really wanted to say. He drained any pity he could out of it and positioned it as keeping Alex as a decent opponent, and that he was evening the playing field by giving Alex notes he could actually read.

If he wasn't so obsessive about going to class unless he was deathly ill he might have skipped their next math class. His and Alex's...relationship, was finely balanced. Their outward attitudes could be downright hostile but both knew the other didn't mean it. Their debates were typically pretty general, following topics of the time. Many times they had come to silent understandings that the other was _only_ playing devil's advocate and did not, in fact, have that particular view. There were some topics they had softened their blows when it looked like it hit too close to home for the other.

So Thomas was inwardly terrified he had messed with the balance so severely that their relationship was ruined and whatever form it took afterward wouldn't have the undertone of friendship running through it.

Alex avoided eye contact when Thomas sat down and was alternatively chewing on his lip or his pen. Class passed as normal but as he was packing up Thomas looked up when he registered a presence at his side as he clipped his water bottle to his bag. Alex stood there trying his best not to look nervous with a crumpled sticky note in his hand. It looked like his papers were all actually _inside_ of his bag today and it looked less likely to burst at any second suggesting that he had taken out some papers and presumably organized them.

Alex glanced at the students at the front who were all absorbed in the prof's explanation. He twirled the paper around his finger, curling it into a tube before rolling it the other way to flatten it out.

"Um, thanks," Alex paused looking like he wanted to say more but deciding against it. He scurried away much like Thomas had done the previous class without saying more. Thomas watched him go. Alex hadn't made eye contact the whole time.

Their math professor usually budgeted time for a review class before every test so Thomas took to giving Alex a notes packet at the end of that class. Besides Thomas's sticky note and Alex's brief thanks, they never spoke of it. Whenever Thomas hovered a little longer after handing over the packet Alex's got withdrawn and anxious looking so Thomas retreated.

Their next test Thomas was weirdly proud of the B+ Alex got.

* * *

Aaron thought he was relatively lucky with his randomly assigned roommate compared to some of the others. Yes, Alex was a bit scattered and wasn't the cleanest but most of his clutter was paper that Alex had given Aaron full permission to just stack on his desk if it encroached into an area of the room it shouldn't have. Aaron heard someone down the hall complain about his roommate's disgusting workout socks being flung absolutely anywhere and yet another horror story on the fifth floor of somebody's roommate believing body spray was an adequate replacement for a shower.

At first Alex's propensity for rambling was annoying until Aaron figured out that Alex didn't even notice if you weren't paying attention. He still tried to get his roommate to talk less but the directive never stuck longer than a few hours, a day if he was lucky.

He was relieved and a little unnerved in the moments that Alex seemed to forget the world existed. Relieved because Alex was finally _quiet_ except maybe typing or writing which didn't disturb Aaron. Disturbed because Alex didn't notice _anything_ when he was like that. Aaron had left for a late class, stayed out for dinner, and came back hours later and he could have sworn Alex hadn't moved at all. He'd often go to sleep listening to Alex type away into the early hours of the morning.

What baffled him was the fact that Alex always seemed to be working but always also stressed out over homework. His roommate typed novels overnight but somehow always ended up writing essays and turning them in seconds before their due dates. The amount of windows and tabs he had open on his laptop made Aaron anxious just looking at it.

One time he asked why Alex didn't just write papers earlier and Alex whined about how dull the subject was.

Alex was all or nothing and Aaron couldn't quite parse out a pattern. Some weekends Alex organized and cleaned not only his half of the room but Aaron's too. Sometimes Alex would be in a rare moment of just lazing about but have a pile of laundry to do. Some subjects seemed to fire him up but assignments within those subjects seemed to drag on him.

* * *

Hercules only truly met Alex when the other had moved up to college for his freshman year. They had known of each other through Lafayette over the summer but he hadn't been formally introduced to their family yet. Plans were in the works for early winter break though.

Hercules will only privately admit that Alex scared him when they first met. The shorter man was a whirlwind with a boyish charm and a sharp tongue. The growing reputation around him and one Thomas Jefferson made him more intimidating somehow. Lafayette found his skittishness amusing especially considering the difference in their physical size but Alex had never shown an ounce of trepidation of being around the bulky six-foot tall Hercules.

Whenever he would hang out with the siblings and Eliza (a girl on Alex's floor who worked in the student affairs office) he was struck with a familiarity that he couldn't quite place. Alex talked a lot, something that neither Eliza nor Lafayette minded all that much. Hercules was privately thankful that Eliza had befriended Alex because now he had someone to talk to when the siblings accidentally slipped into French.

Alex _moved_. He talked with his hands or he was twisting a pen (or if they were eating then a utensil) or chewing on the aglets on his sweatshirt or a pen. He's caught Alex more than once sticking his sweatshirt strings into his mouth before realizing it was sweatshirt without that plastic end and frowning in disappointment at the offending cloth. He had hidden his amused smile in his soda when Lafayette then plucked the pen from behind Alex's ear before offering it to him. Alex would then promptly stick the clicker between his teeth as he tuned back in to Eliza's story. He had asked him once and he had said that he preferred the strings with aglets because it prevented them from getting soggy. Which, fair enough.

The separate pieces in his brain didn't click together until he saw Alex ignoring the world. He, Laf, and Alex had made plans that night but Alex was late. Laf shrugged and texted their sibling. After the first couple of hangouts, Hercules now understood why Laf always gave Alex an earlier time than their actual meeting. Alex was _always_ late. So by giving an earlier time he typically ended up on time or even slightly early to their meetups. But on this particular night, Alex was now actually running late. He hadn't shown up in his usual window. Hercules was slightly nervous, wondering if something had happened to his friend on his walk over to their place but his soulmate ( _soulmate!_ ) seemed completely unperturbed if a little exasperated. They sighed before declaring that they were going to see if Alex was alright.

They made it to the dorm, slipping in behind a group of students returning from dinner and making their way to Alex's room. His roommate answered the door, waving them in. Alex was working unblinkingly at his laptop, apparently not having noticed their arrival.

"How long?" Lafayette asked Aaron.

He shrugged, "Since I got back from chem. Maybe four hours."

* * *

Lafayette wasn't sure why Alex seemed to be doing this more often since moving to college. Sometimes at home, either they or their dad would find Alex still awake in the early hours of the morning. Sometimes typing, sometimes handwriting. Sometimes it would take a few calls of his name. But more often they would have to touch Alex to get him to focus on them.

"Mon petit?" They called despite knowing they wouldn't get a response. They walked over to where Alex was sitting criss-cross on his bed, laptop on his lap as he sped read through whatever was pulled up. A quick glance told Laf it was some article. It was history so they assumed this wasn't for one of his classes. Plus they spied some wikipedia articles in other tabs and Alex never used those for classes since professors usually frowned at the website.

"Alexendre," They called, this time reaching a hand out to touch their brother's knee. They left it there and watched Alex's eyes. Their brother blinked at the screen before glancing at the hand on his knee. Back at the screen to check the time and then up to Lafayette themself.

Hercules watched as the gears ground to a halt in Alex's head as he mentally scrambled to change tracks. It took another couple blinks before it seemed he fully registered Laf's presence and another blink before realizing what it meant. Alex breathed a swear before looking to his wrist and when he remembered he didn't wear a watch looked at his computer again.

He didn't seem to fully absorb the time as he glanced between Lafayette and his computer a few times as the siblings conversed in French. Laf asked a question, or Hercules assumed was a question based on tone, and Alex bit his lip, eyes dropping to scan his laptop screen. He clicked a few times, typed something out, read over it, nodded once to himself before firmly closing the laptop.

Hercules was suddenly struck with how similar Alex was to one of his uncles. The fidgeting, the focus, the lateness, and disorganization. He wondered if Alex had ADHD like his uncle. Might also be the reason Alex drank extraordinary amounts of caffeine every day. Although drinking caffeine like water was not uncommon among college students.

He noted it but never mentioned it. Heracles would understand if Alex didn't want to or feel the need to inform his sibling's new boyfriend about something personal. He shrugged it off and the three of them hung out that night.

* * *

One day in spring quarter saw the sun greeting an already awake Alexander Hamilton. His eyes were dry, his neck was sore, he was staunchly ignoring his empty stomach, and he couldn't think thoughts but was somehow putting words on a page. The paper was due at nine am and it was creeping up on six now. He usually tried to at least pretend to be asleep by the time Aaron's alarm would go off at six-thirty to avoid any possible judgment but that was just not a possibility. He needed at least an hour to get his sources in order on his works cited page plus all of the microscopic rules of formatting the rest of the paper.

It was due at nine but he needed to start getting ready at eight to get ready, get coffee, and print before attending the class in which he would be turning it in. Which meant he had about an hour to write another page and a half. He desperately hoped he could stretch his conclusion to take up most of that. He was grateful for the double spaced formatting.

Aaron didn't comment when he saw Alex up when his alarm went off. Though Alex would swear he could feel the waves of judgment from him. By six forty-five he gave up trying to come up with a witty ending in favor of getting his sources cited. His brain lagged when he was sorting them into alphabetical order but he was soon indenting the entries and let his fingers type out his endings sentence.

He felt like his brain was slowly going dark as he had a proofreader catch all the dumb mistakes of his all-nighter writing binge. He would have to cross his fingers and hope he hadn't used the wrong word somewhere as the spell check would not flag it. When Aaron left at eight, Alex uselessly scanned the pages, hyperaware of his thumping heart, and using it to make sure he didn't waste time.

He felt frazzled as he walked up to his class fifteen minutes early somehow still feeling like he was late. His paper was clutched in his left hand as he felt too rushed to even find the folder for this class to slide it into. His right hand had an energy drink instead of his normal coffee to try to make up his lack of sleep the previous night. He wasn't too worried about the rest of his classes that day but he didn't want to fall asleep in any of them.

His head was either empty or buzzing too fast for him to identify any of his thoughts. He felt like he was vibrating although a quick glance at his hands suggested it was only his core and not his entire body. Lafayette walked by to their own class in the same building. Usually, the siblings would just give a smile or a head tilt. Today Laf tucked a breakfast bar and another snack in the front pouch of Alex's bag. They had known that Alex had been up all night and would not have remembered breakfast.

Alex blinked slowly as he registered his sibling's closeness and gave Laf an exhausted smile in thanks. They gave a little upset and concerned frown as they studied Alex's face. He seemed to sag where he stood and he didn't seem present in the moment, which was evident in his quiet stillness.

"Déjeuner avec moi?" Laf asked quietly. Alex seemed to have an easier time grasping his first language at moments like these despite also learning English very young.

"Uh, yeah." The classroom door opened, releasing the flood of students from the eight am class. "À plus tard!" Alex said, merging with the stream entering his class. Laf frowned after their brother before meandering down to their own class.

They knew freshman year could be difficult for a lot of people but they and their parents all thought Alex would slip into the flow easily. Something was up and Alex needed help. He was perpetually tired and his concentration was getting worse. Not that Laf minded having to slip into French to get his attention but they knew Hercules and Eliza didn't know it thus excluding them.

They mainly asked Alex to have lunch with them just to make sure he ate. Later that night they resolved to make a plan with Alex. He was working much harder than he really needed to be. Lafayette contemplated their laptop and the blinking cursor. From their psychology classes, they knew that concentration problems could be the result of all sorts of things so a search along those lines wouldn't be very helpful. They tapped the desk in thought before focusing on their finger. _Fidgeting_.

They typed it in and they nearly wanted to facepalm when they saw the results. _ADHD: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder._ Entering a new search they combed through both the DSM V** criteria and blog posts that described symptoms from lived experiences. Laf bit their lip, Alex fit the criteria for diagnosis and from an outside point of view Laf's experience with Alex lined up with some of the stories from loved ones.

Just to be thorough they read over other diagnoses that could have similar symptoms but was pretty sure they didn't match quite as well. Now they just had to bring it up with Alex...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! Longest chapter so far! So I hope y'all don't mind that I dedicated a chapter to my Alex has ADHD headcanon. Some of his behaviors/symptoms are my own. The sweatshirt strings/pen-chewing (although I don't actually bite down on my pens. I sort of just...hold them? With my teeth? Like there are no teeth marks in any of my pens despite how often I put them in my mouth). I don't imagine Alex super fidgety but I do have him fiddling with pens or paper especially when he's anxious.
> 
> *I know grading differs between countries but based on the American system a D is a failing grade (60-69% covers D- to D+ and outside of extraordinary circumstances is a failing grade).
> 
> **The DSM V is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders (Fifth edition). It has its issues but it's what America uses (it was also last updated in 2013 so it's in need of some revisions). Internationally there is the ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases (eleventh revision) which, I believe, covers more than just mental disorders).
> 
> Please let me know if you want to see more of Alex dealing with ADHD! I might write about him getting diagnosed working through symptom management and such. Maybe flash forward to the present and get John involved or something?
> 
> I also hope that I didn't stray too much into the 'friendship' part of Thomas and Alex's frenemy relationship. Keep in mind this is the beginning of the relationship with a couple of years separating this depiction and the depiction in a previous chapter.
> 
> French translations:  
> "Déjeuner avec moi?" = "Have lunch with me?"  
> "À plus tard!" = "See you later!"
> 
> Education/Information about ADHD follows, not necessary to read.
> 
> Alex's ADHD is based vaguely around my own with more hyperactive symptoms and thus giving him a combined type presentation. I tried to stay away from the stereotype of 'oh, squirrel!' and show the effects of the inattentive symptoms and how even someone as smart and academically successful as Alex can be negatively affected.
> 
> ADHD is a problem of attention and focus. Often leaving people able to focus on things they really enjoy or interest them (as shown in Alex's hyperfixations) but unable to start or organize their thoughts on things that don't (like Alex liking the subject material but not liking having to do homework that might fall outside what he's specifically interested in, in that subject. In this way papers for his classes are daunting but he'll happily research well into the morning debate topics for when he has class with Thomas.)
> 
> Please keep in mind this is not representative of everyone with ADHD as symptoms can vary widely. There are basically three types (predominately inattentive, predominately impulsive/hyperactive, and combined) and within those, you can have a different set or severity of symptoms than someone of the same type. There are also some differences in adult vs child symptom presentation.
> 
> I'd gladly answer any question you guys have on this. I can answer in the comments or if I do another ADHD chapter then I can answer them there too.
> 
> ~Dawn


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